


Confessions Out

by snazzy_23



Category: Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (2020)
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe - College/University, Aman Tripathi is a dumbass, Aman did it folks, Boys In Love, Coming Out, Devika is the friend we all deserve, Drama, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Goggle is the only sane person here, Graduation, Happy Ending, Homophobia, Humor, Idiots in Love, Kartik deserves the entire world but the entire world doesn't deserve him, Kartik stop being this cute, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Slow Burn, The Author cried while writing chapter 12, being mesmerised by Kartik is Aman's only personality trait, confessions page, the author is very bored in quaratine, the author wants to protect Kartik Singh, the author wants to slap Aman to get his brain to start working, their group chat is on crack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:15:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 37,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23212375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snazzy_23/pseuds/snazzy_23
Summary: Delhi Metropolitan College Confessions RoomPosted 12 mins agoEngineeringFirst YearMale, 19Is there a LGBT+ club at the college? I heard some people talk about it but wasn’t sure if there is any. A confirmation in the comments will be appreciated thank youWith that one confession, Aman knew that there was a chance that his life might change, but how? he didn’t know.or a Karman AU based on a confessions page idea that i came up with in middle of a class.
Relationships: Kartik Singh/Aman Tripathi
Comments: 249
Kudos: 183





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! and welcome to my first ever work. just a warning that English is not my first language. all criticisms and love is openly welcomed.
> 
> i don't have an update schedule as of right now but i'll probably post whenever i come up with something so please enjoy!

_First Day of College._ With that thought, Aman Tripathi woke up. Starting a new life in a new city away from the people you know and love is always terrifying. But Aman thought he needed a change. That change came in the form of a chance to move to Delhi for studying. So Aman took it and here he is. He gets up from his bed to freshen up. After being done with that, he takes a shower and gets dressed for the day. He thinks of skipping breakfast in favor of reaching to the college early so that he could get a tour before the classes start but hears his mom scolding him in his head and goes for a simple bread jam as breakfast and leaves his tiny apartment which was a small help from his parents, _thank you mummy papa._

Even after the breakfast, Aman reaches his college with an hour to spare. He decides to take a tour of the place so that he wouldn’t be late to any of his classes. He notices that there are a fair amount of students already present in the building but pays no mind to it as he continues on his tour. He doesn’t once think of stopping and interacting with any of the students present. See, being from a small town and surrounded by his family, the thought of growing his social circle never came to his mind. In school, he only had two friends, Goggle and Keshav, who also happened to be his cousins. Aman’s social life is a mess. _Again, thank you mummy papa._

After completing his tour, he sees that the number of students in the building has increased so he takes a look at the watch and sees that only 15 minutes is left till his first class starts, so he goes to his locker to collect his materials. Once there, he starts to take his books out and hears a loud laugh coming from somewhere on his left. He takes a look at the source of the noise and feels his heart beat quicken. Standing there is probably the most beautiful person Aman has ever seen. Okay that might be an exaggeration but _hey you can’t help what you feel?_

The person is a tall boy, with his perfectly styled hair, his glowing skin and a cute smile plastered on his face wearing a t-shirt with a heart on it and an unbuttoned shirt over it with some jeans. He was taking things out of a locker that must be his and talking to a girl. Aman can’t take his eyes off the cute boy’s smile. He tries to look away but he can’t physically bring himself to look away from him. The boy glances at his direction which snaps him back to reality and he immediately looks away. For some reason, he feels as if he can’t breathe. He tries to calm himself down. He gathers all the things he needs and runs out of there.

Aman always knew something was different about him. He only discovered what it was at the age of thirteen when he accidentally stumbled upon one of Chaman chacha’s secret CDs that he hid from everyone in that house. He played one of them secretly in his room alone that night. While watching the movie, he felt weird anytime a guy did anything remotely sexy. He didn’t think much of it and just went to sleep still feeling a little weird. The next day when he was doing homework with Goggle, she randomly asked him “do you know what gay is?” Aman was a little shocked at how his little sister came to know about that word. Goggle explained that she heard one of the guys in her class call it to one of the other guys. Aman had a vague idea as to what that word meant so he told her what he knew. “I heard someone say it is what they call boys who like guys and dress like girls.” Goggle hums in response and goes back to her homework but Aman is hit with a realization. _What if I'm gay?_

Over the years, as he learned what the word actually meant, he grew comfortable with it. He knew that he was a guy who liked other guys and there was nothing he can do about it. But still the thought of telling his parents that made him scared. So he kept this secret to himself. He has never been in a relationship with a guy but he has had feelings for some guys but this was the first time he felt what he felt just right now for that guy. He decided to stop thinking about it and just concentrate on his teacher who he hadn’t even noticed coming into the class.

Everything goes back to normal until the lunch break when he sees the cute boy from earlier once again. This time, he is with the same girl he was with earlier. Must be his girlfriend, Aman thinks. He grabs his lunch and goes to sit on one of the tables and silently eats. He sees the cute boy (I really need to know his name) and his “girlfriend” go towards a table filled with loud students. He finishes his lunch and leaves the cafeteria glancing at the cute boy for one last time.

The rest of the day goes uneventful with his teachers just introducing the subjects and other study related activities. At the end of the day, as he is leaving the building, he hears someone say to their friend, “hey, are you planning on joining any clubs this year? I saw the notice board has the name for all the clubs.” He doesn’t stick around to hear the reply but in his head he makes a promise to check out the notice board tomorrow first thing in the morning. _Might be a good way to make friends I guess_ , he thinks on his way home.

Once he reaches, he calls his parents to let them know about his first day. After the conversation, he has Maggi for dinner because he is lazy and goes to sleep. Before falling asleep, he thinks of the cute boy and his smile. He is excited for this new change in his life.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The confessions page makes a debut in this chapter, Aman still has no idea what the cute boy's name is (or so he thinks) and clubs!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: im gonna wait a few days before posting a new chapter, letting the creative juices flow  
> also me: *starts typing a new chapter in middle of a class*  
> anyways enjoy the chapter!  
> cw for a brief homophobic bullying moment, be safe

_Here we go again,_ with that thought in mind Aman woke up for his second day of college. After finishing his daily routine and having omelet for breakfast (can’t be lazy all the time), he leaves for college. He reaches college with about 15 minutes to spare. He goes to his locker to grab his stuff for the class. As he is leaving, he remembers the promise he made to himself and takes a look at his watch to see if he has some time left to go to the notice board and sees he has about 10 minutes. He goes to leave but just then he hears a laugh from somewhere on his left. _That damn laugh of that one cute boy whose name I really need to know._

Aman feels as if his legs are glued to the ground, he is unable to move from the place where he is standing. He turns to look at the perfection and sees that he is with his “girlfriend” and this time he is dressed in a t-shirt which has Tom and Jerry on it with a lime jacket over it and some jeans. He feels himself become short of breathe again but before he can process any thought, the boy and his girlfriend leave the place. Remembering that he too has a class to attend, Aman runs from there. _I’ll surely go to the notice board during lunch._

Lunch time rolls around and Aman practically runs to the notice board. _No distractions this time Aman._ He reaches there and checks to see where all the club names are. His eyes land on the paper where all the club names are and he starts to read them one by one to see if he is interested in any.

_Politics, not interested_

_Economics, why would I even take part in the economics club?_

_Eco, wow go save the environment. Not interested_

_Music, if only I knew how to sing or play some instrument, not going to make a fool of myself out there._

_Fashion, hmmm maybe if they improve my dressing skills, no Aman stop it._

_Drama, oh wow maybe I’ll register for this._

_Literature, OMG my poems will be validated, interested._

_Dance, nope nope nopidy nope nope no._

_STEM, finally something right up my alley._

Aman picks the three clubs to join and sees the rules for the joining the clubs.

_All students interested in joining the clubs are to register their names in the respective departments. One student can join up to four clubs if they can manage to do so. We look forward to seeing you in the meetings in the future._

_Extra-Curriculum Activities Department_

_Delhi Metropolitan College_

Aman smiles a little and leaves the notice board to go to the cafeteria to grab some lunch. After all his classes are done for the day, he goes to the departments to register his name for the clubs he is interested in. They let him know about the days on which each club has their meetings so he can plan accordingly. He learns that the drama club have their meetings on Tuesday, STEM club on Friday and Literature club on Thursday. _Works just fine._

Aman returns home and talks to his parents about his second day and lets them know that he has joined some clubs in the college. He tells them that it wouldn’t affect his studies and he is doing this to grow his social circle. His father is a little skeptical about it but agrees to let Aman join them. _Not that I was asking for permission but okay, thank you papa._

The rest of the week goes uneventful and then Friday rolls around. The day starts off normal, or as normal as it gets for Aman with his weird crush on the cute locker room boy that grows each time he hears that damn laugh. At the end of day, he gets ready to attend his first ever club meeting for the STEM club (the other clubs decided to start their meetings from next week). Once he gets there he notices there are a few students already waiting. He goes to sit on one of the empty desks and waits for the meeting to start. He can hear loud singing and laughing noises coming from the room next to theirs and wonders what’s going on there.

His question gets answered when a boy who just radiates the biggest douche energy speaks up, “lo Bhai, side me nautanki wallo ne apna kaam suru kardiya haii.”

( _Look friends, the drama queens have started their work next to us)_

One of the girls present in the room speaks up “hey idiot can you not be homophobic for like a second? God you’re annoying.”

He glares at her and replies, “tujhe badi chinta haii unki, tu bhi unki gang me toh nahi haii na? Jab se woh gay king Kartik Singh iss college me aaya haii tab se tum logo ki himmat kuch zyada hi baad gayi haii”

( _I see you’re caring a lot about them, are you also a part of their gang or what? Ever since that gay king Kartik Singh has joined this college, the audacity of you guys is increasing a lot_ )

The girl says nothing in reply but she does look a little hurt. Aman wants to speak up and show that bully his place but Aman is a terrified little baby who is too scared to out himself and be a victim of such intense verbal abuse so he keeps quiet. In his mind he thinks, _who is this Kartik Singh?_

After that whole mess, the club president and the other members join the room and the meeting starts. They discuss the activities that will take place in the club and how the club will operate. The meeting is dismissed and slowly everyone starts to leave the room. Aman is one of the last ones to leave the room as the whole thing just keeps on playing in his mind.

He gets home and has a small conversation with his parents updating them on his college life. He also speaks to Goggle and promises to give her more details when she isn’t surrounded by their entire family. He decides to order takeout for dinner. As he waits for the food to arrive, he decides to scroll through his social media accounts. As he is scrolling through his Facebook timeline, something catches his eye.

In the suggested pages section, there is a page which reads “ _Delhi Metropolitan College Confessions Room”_ he clicks on the page. _A confessions page, are these people still in high school?_ He thinks as he starts scrolling down the page. At the top, a post is pinned with a link to a Google form, the caption reads “ _all confessions are to be sent on this link with the confessor’s subject, year, gender and age specified.”_ Aman is impressed with how professional the page is for a confessions page.

Aman starts scrolling down the confessions and stops to read some of them. The first one he reads is,

_Liberal Arts_

_Second year_

_Female, 21_

_To Mr. Roy_

_Mere pyaare Abhi, jab se tumhe dekha haii meri toh puri zindagi badal gayi haii. Tumhara woh padhane ka style, haaye mein toh mar he gayi. Tumhaare us ganje ser ne mere dil me fullo ka jaise garden hi saajha diya haii. Tumhaare us grey beard ki toh mein deewani ho chuki hu. Ab bas aur nahi saaha jata mujhse. Tum please mere ho jao, tumhari biwi se zyada mein tumhe khush rakh sakthi hu. Mere iss pyaar ko please mat thukrana._

_Tumhari admirer_

_(My lovely Abhi, ever since I saw you, I feel like my entire life has changed. I nearly died over your teaching style. Your bald head has managed to create a whole flower garden in my heart. I have become a diehard fan of your grey beard. I can’t take it anymore. Please be mine, I’ll give you more happiness than your wife does. Please don’t reject my love. Your admirer)_

_Mr. Roy? Padhane ka style? Is she seriously crushing on a teacher? Haaye bhagwaan what is happening to this generation?_ Aman thinks. He wants to know what others think of this post so he clicks on the comments. The first comment makes Aman laugh so hard he nearly falls on the sofa he is on.

(Insert Student’s name)

_(Image: a Pakistani cricket fans saying “oh brothers, hit me please”)_

Before he loses he mind, Aman closes the comment box and decides to scroll down further to see more confessions. The next one he reads says,

_Engineering_

_First year_

_Female, 18_

_Is it true that if you give bad ratings to a teacher in the student’s feedback form, they kick that teacher out? I’m seriously tired of some of the teachers in engineering. If this is true, please confirm in the comments, help a sister out._

He understands what this girl is feeling because he too would love to get rid of some of his teachers. He goes to the comments again, _for you know research purposes_. The first comment gives him the answer he needs.

(Insert Student’s Name)

Arey behen bilkul, aise hi humne last year ek teacher ko nikala tha. Tum bhi jao nikaldo us jalad ko.

( _Of course sister, last year we kicked out a teacher like that. You too can kick out that torturer_ )

Aman smiles at the helpfulness of the students in his college. Before he can read any further, the doorbell rings. He goes to answer the door and sees that his food has arrived. He brings the food inside and starts eating from the container (his mother’s voice in his head is very disappointed in him). He goes to scroll through the confessions page again and the next one reads,

_Medical_

_Third year_

_Male, 24_

_Arey bhai log, hamare canteen ka khana finally accha hogaya haii. Aja toh menu mei Italian tha. Ab next student’s feedback form me extra lunch provide karne ke liye kehna padhega._

_(Bros, the food in our canteen is finally good. They had Italian in the menu today. We should ask them to provide us extra lunch in the next students feedback form)_

That made Aman laugh out loud, nearly making him choke on his food. _These people are hilarious,_ Aman thinks. He continues with his scrolling finding a few love confessions, _boring._ Some more idiots crushing on teachers, _you are half their age idiots._ And other students just being goofy and hilarious. By the time he finishes his dinner, he is done with the confessions page. He likes the page in hope of seeing more of them in the future. As he is closing the app, he notices a new confession has been posted which reads,

_Hotel Management_

_Second Year_

_Male, 20_

_To my dear Kartik Singh,_

_Ever since I saw you on the first day, I haven’t stopped thinking about you. Your beautiful smile, your carefree personality, your perfectly styled hair, all of those make me fall for you more and more every day. I recently learned your name so I decided to write my feeling for you here. Hope one day I can gather enough strength to approach you irl. Till then, I’ll just admire your beauty from afar._

_Your secret admirer_

For some reason, that made Aman a little jealous. The fact that a guy can easily confess his love for another guy here but Aman has to hide it made him a little angry. But at the same time, it gave him a little hope. _Maybe I could do something like this for the cute locker room boy,_ Aman thought. But before that, there was something else Aman was more interested in.

Once again Aman clicked on the page and scrolled down to the pinned post. He opened the Google forms link and started typing out his confession. He clicked send and waited. He closed the app and started cleaning the containers. He noticed it was getting late so he started getting ready for bed. Once settled in he checked the page one more time to see his confession has been posted.

 **_Delhi Metropolitan College Confessions Room_ ** _  
Posted 12 mins ago_

 _Engineering_  
First Year  
Male, 19

_Is there a LGBT+ club at the college? I heard some people talk about it but wasn’t sure if there is any. A confirmation in the comments will be appreciated thank you_

Aman knew his life would change with that confession and he was excited for that change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you guys enjoyed! kudos and comments are welcomed as always.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aman realizes three important things:  
> 1\. the cute locker room boy's name  
> 2\. he is a total dumbass  
> 3\. Goggle Tripathi is the only sane person around him and she deserves more for dealing with his dumbass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, i'm back with another chapter because i'm practically jobless since my college shut down.  
> Please enjoy this chapter  
> cw for a homophobic comment made by an idiot

_The weekend, finally._ With that thought, Aman wakes up. Since he is in no hurry to get anywhere, he lets himself melt back into the mattress dreading the day ahead. He opens one eye and looks at the clock that hangs on the wall in front of his bed. The clock reads 9:30am meaning Aman can go back to sleep because he has nothing better to do but decides against it. He gets up from the bed and goes through his morning routine quickly. He takes a long shower and changes into a pair of loose t-shirt and sweatpants.

He goes into the kitchen to see what his possible options for breakfast are. As he opens the fridge to look into it, a thought hits him. He immediately runs into his bedroom to grab his phone. He unlocks his phone, opens the Facebook app and clicks on the confessions page. He scrolls down to _his_ confession and notices there are four comments on the post. He clicks on the comments to see if someone has provided anything helpful in regards to his confession. The first comment he reads makes him want to punch something or rather some _one,_ the comment reads

(Insert Student’s Name)

Hey look a new fairy has entered the college. God you guys make me sick.

Aman thinks of replying to the comment but that irrational fear of being outed makes him stop. Still pissed over that comment Aman scrolls down and the next comment is just a simple sticker which reads _“love is love”_. _That’s sweet but not helpful,_ Aman thinks and scrolls down. The next comment he reads is a little helpful, it reads

(Insert Student’s Name)

Welcome to the community, young buck. We do have an LGBT+ club in the college. But our club is not recognized as an “official” club because homophobia is a very real thing. But if you want to know more about the club, you can either ask our president Kartik Singh or Devika.

 _Kartik Singh, again? Who exactly is this Kartik Singh?_ Aman thinks. He promises himself to know more about this boy once the weekend is over. He looks at the last comment which happens to be a reply to the previous comment which reads,

(Insert Student’s Name)

We also have meetings every Friday, we don’t have an official location but last time we had the meeting next to the STEM club meeting room so maybe we’ll do it there again if you are interested in attending.

 _Well I’m a part of the STEM club, can I balance these two? Wait why am I even planning that far? Am I even planning on showing up to the LGBT+ club meeting? Well let’s wait and watch._ Aman thinks. He takes his phone back to the kitchen and gets started on breakfast deciding to make some rotis and have it with some acchar.

After the breakfast, Aman decides to do some cleaning around the house. He plugs his phone into the speaker and plays some music and starts his cleaning. By the evening, Aman is done and too tired to move from his very comfortable spot in the sofa. He picks up his laptop and starts watching a TV series. By 8:00pm, Aman is a little hungry. He eats the leftover rotis from the morning and brings the food and his laptop to his room and starts eating in his bed. His mom’s voice in his head in having a mild heart attack but Aman is far too into his tv series to care about it. By the time its midnight Aman is on the verge of falling asleep at any moment. He gives into the urge and goes to sleep.

Sunday is equally as uneventful as Saturday was. Aman realizes the lack of social interaction in his life and makes plans to make some friends in his college. On Monday, he wakes up at his normal time, gets ready and leaves his apartment. He reaches at the college 10 minutes before his first class starts. He goes into the locker room and grabs his stuff. He waits to hear his cute locker room boy’s laugh but it doesn’t come. He looks from his locker towards the boy’s locker and sees him there. He is relieved to know he is there. _Okay Aman you are being slightly creepy now please stop._ He thinks and runs towards his first classroom.

Once lunch time comes, Aman is dead set on finding who this Kartik Singh is. He knows he can’t be an engineering student because he knows the names of the students in his class and no one is called Kartik Singh. _Wow, really narrows it down there._ He thinks sarcastically. He thinks of asking other students if they know him but immediately dismisses that plan writing it off as way too creepy. He thinks of looking up on Facebook. He goes to the Facebook app and searches for the name. About 50 results show up and Aman is confused. He admits defeat and goes to the cafeteria to grab an apple before the lunch break is over.

Tuesday and Wednesday also pass similarly with no progress being made with the search. Aman is seriously considering going with his first option of asking around. _Wait a minute, why am I stressing so much? I could just go to the meeting on Friday._ Aman thinks. He gives himself a pat on the back (not literally he’s not crazy) and goes about his day on Thursday. But Thursday also brings the literature club meeting. If he was being honest, he was most excited about this club because writing and reading has been a huge part of Aman’s life.

He reaches the class where the meeting is happening and notices many students are already there including the club president. He takes a seat in one of the empty desks and waits for the meeting to start. The club president starts the meeting by asking all the members to introduce themselves and give the reason why they wanted to join the literature club. One by one each student introduces themselves. When it’s Aman’s turn to do the same, someone comes running into the room. One look at the person and Aman’s entire body has given up on functioning.

IT’S THE CUTE LOCKER ROOM BOY! His brain yells. He feels his heartbeat stop and he can’t look away from the boy who is struggling to breathe properly due to his running. Aman snaps out of his daze when he hears the club president’s voice.

“Dude, you’re late”, he says.

“I’m so sorry, I nearly forgot we had a meeting. This won’t happen again” the cute boy replies. Aman realizes that this is the first time he has heard the boy’s voice and it sounds absolutely _angelic._ Aman didn’t know it was possible for this boy to be even more perfect but here he was with that stupid lopsided grin on his apologetic face.

“Okay. Since this is the first meeting, I’m excusing you but this won’t be tolerated next time, understand?” the club president says

“Aye aye captain” the boy replies making everyone present there laugh. Aman can’t stop smiling. The club president gestures for Aman to continue with the introductions. Aman clears his throat and starts with his introduction.

“Um hi everyone, I’m Aman Tripathi. I come from Allahbaad and I’m studying civil engineering here. The reason why I wanted to join this club is because I write some poetry and would love to share my work with everyone. Also I would like to know more about other’s materials as well.” The club president looked impressed with his answer and gave him a small smile which he returns.

“Well new boy, it’s your turn now. We are doing introductions and reasons for joining this club.”

The boy gives him a large grin and starts speaking, “hello everyone, I’m Kartik Singh and I’m studying political science here. I too write some poetry, really good ones in my opinion and I also think literature has been a big part of me and my identity.”

The club president hums in reply and starts discussing about the club and the objectives. Aman is far too distracted with the cute boy, whose name he now knows is Kartik, is present here, in the same room as him. _Kartik, the name suits him,_ Aman thinks and smiles. What he doesn’t remember is that this is the same person he was looking for, _the same Kartik Singh who was the LGBT+ club’s president._

After the meeting is over, Aman gets up to leave the classroom. As he is on the door, someone runs past him, the person’s hand brushes against his own. At that, Aman’s whole body explodes with dopamine, he feels like an exposed wire with the way he feels shocks in his body. He feels as if he is going to melt into a puddle right then and there. Aman can’t move from his place but he makes the effort to look at the person who caused this reaction and is not surprised to see it is the cute locker room boy. _Kartik, his name is Kartik,_ Aman scolds himself mentally. But by the time he can do anything, Kartik has already left. Aman too leaves to get back to his apartment.

Once there he calls Goggle. He misses his sister and he wants to update her on everything that has been going on since the first day of college. After two rings, she picks up and yells out a loud hello, _typical Goggle._

“Hey Goggle? How’s everything?” Aman asks

“Yaha sab thik haii, tum batao, Delhi ki hawa ne behen ko bula diya haii kya?” Goggle replies. ( _Everything is alright here, what about you, did you forgot your sister due to the Delhi air?)_

“Aisa kuch nahi haii bus thoda busy tha aur tu bhi toh har waqt gharwalo ke saath rehti haii, kuch batae teri meri personal batae haii samjha kar.” ( _It’s nothing like that, I was just a little busy. And you also like to stay around everyone all the time. There are somethings that are personal try to understand.)_

“Accha aisa kya personal haii, ab toh bata? Boyfriend milgaya haii kya?” Goggle teases him. ( _Oh, what’s so personal? Did you find a boyfriend or what?)_

“Something like that” Aman replies. Before he can continue, a loud squeal comes from the other side nearly scaring Aman. “Have you lost it?” Aman nearly screams into the phone.

“No, no. Just got a little excited there. Please continue.” He can hear the smile in her voice which makes him smile.

So Aman starts recounting everything that has happened till now. Goggle listens to his explanation patiently.

“So what I’m gathering here is, you like a guy who also happens to be gay, Aman that’s amazing, you have a chance, take it. Go to that club meeting. The STEM club can go fuck itself.” Goggle replies nearly bursting with happiness.

“Wait, who said Kartik is gay? Even I’m not sure-” Aman stops midway. He finally realizes everything. His cute locker room boy, whose name is Kartik Singh, is also the same Kartik Singh who was the president of the LGBT+ club and according to that homophobic asshole, a “gay king”.

From the other side, he can hear Goggle calling out his name but he is too far gone in his head. _My cute locker room crush is gay. I have a chance. I can’t believe this OH MY FUCKING GOD._

“OH MY FUCKING GOD GOGGLE HE IS GAY. MY CRUSH IS GAY, GOGGLE” Aman screams into the phone, too giddy with this revelation.

“So you didn’t realize this before? Are you okay Aman? Do you need to get your brain checked?” Goggle continues teasing him but Aman is too happy to care.

“I have to go” Aman says and hangs up before Goggle can reply. Aman falls into his bed laughing and giggling like a crazy person. He cooks and eats his dinner in the same high of happiness and goes to bed with that one thought, _I have a chance._

Aman wakes up the next morning with a smile on his face. Everything that happened yesterday comes rushing back to him. He completes his morning routine, has cereal for breakfast and leaves for college. Once he gets there, he immediately goes to the locker room to grab his stuff and maybe see Kartik once before he can start his day. He gets there and immediately hears the laugh he is slowly falling for. He looks at the direction from where the laugh came and notices Kartik with the same girl he is always with. Aman smiles to himself and leaves for his first class.

The rest of the day goes uneventful and now it is time for the club meeting. Aman goes to the room where the meeting is happening. As he goes to enter the room, he is hit with a thought. _What if I go there and they all realize I’m gay? What if the college finds out? What if my parents find out? I can’t go in there. I’m not ready. No no I’m not ready._

Aman makes a run from there and enters the room where the STEM club meeting is happening. He puts his head in his hands and tries to calm himself down. He realizes that his fear is irrational but he can’t help it. Call him a chicken but the thought of coming out to his parents is the scariest thing for Aman. Before he can spiral down further, the meeting starts but Aman is too distracted.

Too soon the meeting comes to an end and Aman is ready to leave. As he is leaving, he hears an angelic voice singing. He realizes that the voice belongs to one Kartik Singh and he feels himself go towards the voice. He stops at the entrance and looks from there. At the very front, Kartik sits with a guitar in his hand, singing a song he can’t recognize. He nearly enters the room but stops himself and runs out of there. Once he reaches the gates, he thinks _I hope no one noticed._

Little did he know, someone did notice and that someone became intrigued with the mystery. And if there’s something you must know about Kartik Singh, it is that he loves a mystery, especially if that mystery includes someone who is as beautiful as Aman Tripathi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you all enjoyed this chapter.  
> i wanted to slap Aman multiple times in this chapter even though i'm the one who made him this dumb. but hey he may be a dumbass, but he is Kartik's dumbass.  
> As always kudos and comments are welcomed and very much apperciated.  
> See you all next time!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A conversation takes place, but things get worse before they get better. Aman regrets his existence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! here's a new chapter for you all.   
> Enjoy :)

_So much for having a chance._ With that thought Aman wakes up on Monday morning. After a whole weekend of wallowing in self-pity, Aman still isn’t ready to go back to college. But he knows that if he misses even a day of college, he’ll have to live through hell to catch up on everything he missed in that one day. He gets up from the bed and drags his body to the bathroom to get done with his morning routine. After being done with that, he leaves for college without having breakfast.

He reaches the locker room with only five minutes to spare. He immediately grabs his stuff and looks in the direction of Kartik’s locker but doesn’t see him there. _As if this day wasn’t bad enough already._ He thinks and leaves for his first class. He takes a seat and starts doodling in his notebook. He doesn’t hear a single thing his teacher says as everything that happened in the past few days keeps playing in his head.

After some more wallowing, the lunch break rolls around. Aman is dying of hunger ( _no, he is not exaggerating, this is what skipping breakfast does to a person)_ so he immediately runs to the cafeteria. He sees the cafeteria only has dal chawal today. _Goddamn it why does everything hate me today?_ He thinks and grabs whatever they give him and sits on one of the empty tables. He starts angrily stabbing his food when suddenly someone sits in front of him. He looks up to see who had the audacity to disturb him when he is having the worst day of his life. When he looks up, all his anger melts away, because sitting in front of him is the most beautiful person Aman has ever seen, the person being Kartik Singh, _his crush._ Aman is freaking out internally and tries to maintain a cool exterior. When he looks at Kartik’s face, he sees that he has a small smile on his face. _There goes my cool exterior, thank you Kartik._

“Hello! You’re Aman right, Aman Tripathi?” Kartik asks

 _HE KNOWS MY NAME. KARTIK KNOWS WHO I AM. CANCEL WHATEVER I SAID ABOUT THIS DAY._ He freaks out on the inside

“Yeah, um that’s … uh….. that’s me, Aman. I’m Aman” Aman replies. _Smooth Aman, really smooth._

“Oh thank god. I’m Kartik Singh. Nice to meet you.” He grins and holds out his hand for Aman to shake.

“Why thank god?” Aman asks curiously. He shakes Kartik’s hand but doesn’t let go without realizing it as he waits for his answer. The explosions of dopamine in his mind continue.

“Remember the literature club meeting? I saw you there. But I’m very bad at remembering faces so I got a little confused there” Kartik replies sheepishly.

“Oh oh okay. Um so what brings you here?” Aman asks. He finally notices that he is still holding Kartik’s hand and pulls his hand away immediately. He is panicking on the inside hoping Kartik was too distracted to notice Aman’s panic.

“There’s no particular reason. I just saw you looking a little sad so I thought I’d come here and give you some company. Everyone around me says I’m a joy to be around.” Kartik replies with possibly the cutest smile Aman has ever seen on a person. Aman’s heart is slowly melting looking at the ray of sunshine sitting in front of it. Because of this, Aman’s brain-to-mouth filter stops working and he says,

“Who said I was looking for some company?” Even though Aman meant to say that as a joke, it came out ruder than he intended. He could see the visible panic rise in Kartik’s eyes as his smile slowly turned into a grimace.

“Oh my god sorry, I didn’t even think about that. I’m so sorry, I’ll just leave you alone-” Kartik starts rambling in panic and Aman’s poor heart cannot see this literal perfection in this state.

“Hey hey hey calm down, I was just trying to make a joke don’t worry. Please calm down.” Aman tries to calm Kartik while he himself is panicking. Noticing the mess that is happening, the girl with whom Kartik always is, comes over to the table.

“What exactly is going on here? Kartik are you okay?” She asks and rubs Kartik’s back.

Kartik whispers something into her ear which Aman cannot hear. He patiently waits for Kartik to calm down so he can explain what just happened. He notices the girl giving him a glare from the corner of his eye and he thinks, _what did I do now? I hate myself._

After Kartik is calm enough, Aman starts, “look, I didn’t mean to sound so rude. I was just making a joke but I didn’t know I would come out so rude. Can we start over? I’m sorry about that.” He gives a small smile hoping to make things better.

“Okay, so I’m pretty sure this idiot here has told you his name, I’m Devika, his best friend since forever.” The girl, _Devika_ , replies.

“Hi, I’m Aman,” Aman says and gives her a shy little wave. He notices Devika’s small smile at his shyness.

“Hello, Aman. How is everything today?” Devika asks trying to make a conversation.

“Well, it started out bad but now things are looking up because I just got some very amazing company.”

Both of them give each other a shy smile. Devika looks at them like she is looking at two babies. _This is going to be fun._ She thinks.

The three continue talking about their courses and classes. Kartik slowly starts getting back to his old self.

“So, are you only in the literature club? Or other clubs as well?” Kartik asks Aman.

“No I’m in the drama and STEM club too,” Aman replies.

“S-STEM club. Ewww.” Kartik replies in a disgusted voice and shivers dramatically to add to the flare. That makes Aman laugh out loud which causes all the students present in the cafeteria to glare at them. Aman is way past caring and continues laughing. When he stops and looks at Kartik, he sees him looking at Aman like Aman just discovered the cure for cancer. Aman can’t fight the large grin that makes way to his face.

“What’s so bad about the STEM club, Kartik?” Aman asks Kartik teasingly.

“It’s science. It’s about studying. Eww clubs are supposed to be for fun Aman, not studying. I’m so disgusted” Kartik starts making disgusted noises making Aman and Devika laugh like crazy people.

“I’m in the STEM club because I like science and technology. Engineering student, remember?” Aman replies in between his laughs.

“I can’t believe you picked engineering. Marne ka itna hi sauk tha toh kuch aur kar leta, more painless.” Kartik says ( _if you wanted to die so bad, you could have done something else._ )

Aman tries to glare at Kartik but just bursts out laughing instead.

“Stop laughing, I’m very serious here.” Kartik, who himself can’t stop laughing, says.

“Thik haii le liya tujhe seriously. Engineering nahi toh aur kya karta mein? Chal options de” ( _okay I’m gonna take you seriously. If not engineering, what should I do? Give me options_ )

“Creative writing? Political science? Hotel Management?” Kartik starts listing out all the subjects one by one.

“I’m not interested in any of those. Besides I like engineering and STEM.” Aman replies seriously.

“Okay continue with your engineering. But leave that STEM club and come join us in the LGBT+ club.” Kartik says with the cutest smile again melting Aman’s heart. In a hurry to reply, Aman says the first thing that comes into his mind.

“But I’m not gay, what am I supposed to do in the LGBT+ club?” _Way to go Aman Tripathi, you have achieved the height of dumbassery, here’s an award._

Kartik looks shocked at that. Aman thinks of back pedaling but before he can even open his mouth, Kartik says,

“So what? Who says you need to be gay to be in the LBGT+ club? We accept all kinds of people who are looking for a fun time. I mean almost everyone. We don’t support homophobia in this household” Kartik says. “There are many different people in our club. Look at Devika, she is a-” Kartik stops to make a disgusted sound.

“Heterosexual, that is what he means to say.” Devika completes for him. Aman chuckles at Kartik’s behavior.

The three notice that the cafeteria is slowly emptying meaning the classes are about to start. Devika pulls Kartik from his seat and practically drags him out.

“See you in the meeting room on Friday. Bye for right now, Aman Tripathi.” Kartik screams as he is being dragged away. Aman laughs and gives him a nod which makes Kartik’s face light up. He gives Aman an enthusiastic wave that Aman returns.

 _Well, this day isn’t as bad as it started_ , Aman thinks with a smile and leaves the cafeteria.

After the end of all his classes, Aman leaves to go to his apartment. Once he reaches, he jumps on the sofa and pulls out his phone. He notices that he has two new friend requests on Facebook, one from Kartik and the other from Devika. He accepts both of their requests and decides to look through their profile after having a conversation with his parents.

He calls his parents and tells them about his day. He lets them know that he has made two new friends in college. His parents are very happy to hear that. In the middle of the conversation, Goggle snatches the phone and asks him about Kartik. She assures him that no one is around her and he can openly talk about it.

Aman starts gushing over Kartik and his beautiful personality. He mentions the rough beginning of the conversation to which Goggle scolds him and promises to slap him the next time she sees him. He laughs and continues with his story. By the time he is done, Goggle is practically making inhuman noises on the other side.

“I feel like I’m a part of a very cute teen rom-com, please Aman don’t stop giving me updates,” Goggle says.

“Okay okay, I’ll update you when something happens,” Aman replies.

“But wait a minute, Aman. I just remembered something. Did you say you told them that you were straight?”

In the middle of that entire thing, Aman forgot that he hadn’t corrected that mistake. “ _Oh shit, GOGGLE”_

Goggle starts laughing like a mad man on the other side. Aman is having a crisis.

“Help me please, what do I do now?” Aman pleads to Goggle.

“Yeh tune bigada haii, ab tu hi ishe thik kar sakta haii. Mein toh chali” Goggle replies and hangs up before Aman can utter a single word. ( _You were the one who messed this up, now you are gonna have to deal with it. I’m leaving._ )

_A mess, which is what I am. Why did my parents name me Aman? A mess fits so much better._

Aman bangs his head on the wall trying to get his brain to start working. The result he gets is a headache.

Aman goes to the kitchen to make a small dinner and eats it while thinking of a plan to undo this whole mess. The only thing he can come up with is being straightforward and admitting that he lied. But that would also mean coming out. And as we have already established, Aman Tripathi is a chicken.

Aman starts getting ready for bed but sleep isn’t coming to him. He keeps on replaying the events that happened. He never thought he would be so open with someone he had just met but Kartik really brought the best out of him. He smiles when he remembers how happy Kartik was to be around him. _Maybe he likes me too?_ He smiles at the thought but then he remembers how he messed up and starts stressing again. At some point he gives up on thinking of a plan to backtrack from that mess and slowly falls asleep wondering how his life would be as _Kartik Singh’s Boyfriend._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kartik "Zyada" Singh has appeared!  
> so what do you think Kartik whispered to Devika? Does Kartik like Aman back? I would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter.   
> as always, kudos and comments are welcomed  
> till next time.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A week in the life of Aman Tripathi with his two new friends, Kartik and Devika.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is brought to you by the author's inability to concentrate in classes.   
> anyways, this chapter is just a big ball of fluff with sprinkles of humor.   
> so please, enjoy!

_Was yesterday even real?_ With that thought Aman wakes up the next day. He rolls over his bed and screams into his pillow. He can’t believe anything that happened yesterday. He gets up from the bed with the widest smile. He goes through his morning routine and makes a nice breakfast for himself. He leaves for the college and gets there with around half an hour to spare. He goes to his locker and takes his necessary materials out.

As he is closing his locker, he notices a figure leaning on the locker next to his. The figure has a goofy grin on his face and belongs to Kartik. Aman immediately returns his grin and gives him a wave as a form of hello. Kartik chuckles and gives Aman a wave in return. Aman realizes how stupid that was for him to wave at a person standing next to him and mentally facepalms.

“Good morning, Kartik” Aman says finally collecting enough braincells to make a decent conversation.

“Morning, Aman. You seem happy” Kartik replies, the goofy grin still present on his face.

“I am very happy today, yes” Aman says smiling and turning his body to fully face Kartik and in turn leaning against his locker.

“Any reason for it?” Kartik asks wiggling his eyebrows making Aman laugh.

 _Yes, you. You are the reason._ Aman thinks but replies, “Nope, just woke up feeling happy”

“Strange. I don’t believe you but okay. Whatever floats your boat, Tripathi” Kartik replies in a suspicious voice.

Aman just shakes his head and chuckles in reply.

“So where are you headed now?” Kartik asks Aman, raising an eyebrow.

“Um the class, where else will I go?” Aman asks confused at Kartik’s question.

“Arey buddhu, I’m asking which way you’re going?” Kartik asks chuckling. ( _You idiot_ )

“Oh oh, that way” Aman points to the direction of his class.

“Can I walk there with you? My class is also in the same way” Kartik says this in such a cute voice, Aman nearly melts into a puddle then and there. Thank god he leaned against the locker, his knees have given out.

Unable to get his brain back online, Aman nods in reply. Kartik gives him a smile and grabs his elbow dragging him away from the lockers. Aman lets himself be dragged away. He gives directions to class as Kartik drags him. Once they reach in front of the class, Kartik lets Aman’s elbow go. Aman is already missing Kartik’s touch.

“Here we are. Have a good day, Aman. I’ll see you at the lunch break.” Kartik says turning around and waving.

“Wait, didn’t you say your class is in this direction?” Aman asks as he sees Kartik walk in the opposite direction.

“Nah, I just wanted to know where to pick you up from for the lunch break” Kartik replies. He turns around and gives Aman a grin and runs out of there.

 _How am I even alive?_ Aman thinks and enters the classroom. He tries to concentrate in the class, _spoiler alert: he can’t concentrate._

The lunch break comes and as Aman is leaving the classroom, he spots Kartik and Devika talking near the door. He smiles seeing the two of them. He thinks of scaring Kartik and slowly goes to stand behind him. Devika notices him but he gestures her to not tell Kartik. When he reaches behind Kartik, he covers his eye.

“Who’s there?” Kartik asks in a soft voice.

Aman doesn’t reply but mouths at Devika to ask him to guess.

“Try guessing” Devika says giggling.

Kartik fakes a thinking face and smiles. “Aman” Kartik says with a cute little smile which puts a smile on Aman’s face. He moves his hand away from Kartik’s eyes. Kartik turns around and fakes a shocked face. He starts doing a silly dance while chanting “yes! I knew it was him” Both Devika and Aman laugh at the antics of this silly boy.

The three go into the cafeteria talking throughout the way. They sit in the table they sat in yesterday and continue talking and joking around. Aman doesn’t once feel left out during the whole thing and feels like he has finally found a place where he _belongs._

At the end of the day, Aman leaves the classroom. He remembers he has the meeting for the drama club and he goes to the classroom where the meeting is happening. Once he takes a seat, he feels his phone vibrate with a message. He pulls out his phone to see a message from Kartik on Facebook which reads,

_Kartik Singh: hey did you leave already? My teacher left the class a little late._

The message makes Aman smile, he types out a reply,

_Aman Tripathi: No, I had to go for the Drama club meeting :(_

_Kartik Singh: awww, guess I’ll see you tomorrow then. Have fun at your meeting! :)_

_Aman Tripathi: I’ll try my best. See you!_

Aman puts down his phone and listens to the club president. She mentions that every year they do a drama in college and this year they are looking for something new. She asks each of the members to do their research and bring a new topic in the next meeting. She dismisses the club and all the students leave.

Aman goes back to his apartment and plops on the bed too tired to move. His phone vibrates signaling a call. He looks to see a call from his parents. He picks up the call and has a small conversation with his parents. He tells them about his day and how tired he is. His mom tells him to eat dinner and sleep. He hums in reply and says his goodbyes. Since he is too lazy to make a proper dinner, he cooks Maggi and calls it a night.

Over the next few days, Aman and Kartik fall into a routine. Kartik picks Aman from his locker and drops him off to his class. Once lunch break comes, Kartik and Devika pick Aman up from his class and they have lunch together. At the end of the day, if none of them have club meetings, they meet in the locker room and go to their respective apartments together. Aman discovers that Kartik and Devika live together.

In this way, Friday comes along and brings the LGBT+ club meeting with it. This time, Aman has no problem going into the classroom. He spots Kartik in front of the classroom with a guitar in his hand and Devika in the seat next to him. He also notices all the students staring at him. He feels a little uncomfortable with all the stares at him. When he looks back at Kartik, he is enthusiastically waving at him to come over to where he is.

Aman slowly walks over to the front of the classroom and smiles at Kartik. Kartik returns his smiles and he stands up. He holds Aman’s waist and turns him to face everyone in the classroom. Aman stops breathing for a second and looks down to where Kartik’s hands are on his waist. Kartik isn’t looking at him too busy getting the attention of everyone.

“Hello everyone, welcome our newest member, Aman Tripathi. He is straight like Devika here but he is an ally so here he is. Be nice to him,” Kartik says. _Oh yeah, I forgot to correct that mistake. Way to go Aman._ He is still holding Aman by the waist and Aman is trying very hard to continue breathing. Everyone yells out a hello to Aman and they go back to doing whatever they were doing before Kartik interrupted them. Kartik looks at Aman and says, “See, LBGT or not, we welcome everyone.”

He moves his hand away from Aman’s waist and takes a sit in his chair. He gestures Aman to take the chair that is next to him. Aman, who is still not over the hands on the waist moment, takes a seat before his knees give out. Kartik picks up the guitar again and starts strumming. He is humming a tune Aman can’t recognize but he is mesmerized by Kartik so he doesn’t interrupt him.

“Okay everyone, let’s start our meeting. Aman, since this is your first meeting, I’ll tell you what we do here. This is pretty much like a therapy session where we listen to each other’s problems and give solutions while telling stories and doing other fun stuff. But one code of conduct we have is, nothing goes out of here, whatever happens here, stays here.” Kartik tells Aman.

The meeting starts and slowly everyone starts participating. The people who have problems start telling their issues and everyone comes up with some kind of solution. Some solutions are funny and are meant to lighten the mood but they also give actual solutions to help the person. The time goes by quickly and the meeting is coming to an end.

“Kartik, we are not ending this meeting without a song from you” A girl, whose name if Aman remembers is Alia, says. The rest also agree.

“Okay, I’ll sing. But I have a condition. Aman is picking the song.” Kartik looks at him waiting for a suggestion.

“Arey mein kya suggest karu, tujhe jo pasand haii woh gaade.” Aman replies. ( _What should I suggest? Just sing whatever you like_ )

Kartik gives him the cutest puppy dog eyes and pouts melting Aman’s heart like a candle. He tries to think of a song for Kartik to sing.

“Tune woh gaana suna haii? Woh movie haii na _Bareilly Ki Barfi_ , usme haii na woh romantic walla gaana?” Aman tries really hard to think about the name but before he can say anything more, he hears the guitar sounds and a voice, ( _have you heard that song? From the movie Bareilly Ki Barfi, there is this one romantic song_ )

“ _Mere dil ke lifaafe mein  
Tera khat hai jaaniya  
O tera khat hai jaaniya  
Nacheez ne kaise paa li  
Qismat yeh janiya ve_

_O mere dil ke lifaafe mein  
Tera khat hai jaaniya  
Tera khat hai jaaniya  
Nacheez ne kaise paa li  
Jannat yeh janiya ve”_

Aman is absolutely speechless. The word _angelic_ would be an understatement to explain Kartik’s voice. Aman can’t do anything other than just drown in this angel’s voice as he continues singing.

“ _Tu nazm nazm sa mere  
Honthon pe thehar ja _

_Tu nazm nazm sa mere  
Honthon pe thehar ja_

_Main khwaab khwaab sa teri  
Aankhon mein jaagun re_

_Tu ishq ishq sa mere  
Rooh mein aake bas jaa  
Jis ore teri shehnaai  
Uss ore main bhaagun re_

_Heer ni meriye  
Heer ni meriye  
Tujhko hi main chaahun_

_Koshishan main kari ae  
Koshishan main kari ae  
Tujhko bhool na paaun_

_Haath thaam le piya  
Karte hain waada  
Ab se tu aarzoo  
Tu hi hai iraada_

_Mera naam le piya  
Main teri rubaai  
Teri hi toh piche piche  
Barsaat aayi  
Barsaat aayi_

_Tu itr itr sa mere  
Saanson mein bikhar jaa  
Main faqeer tere qurbat ka  
Tujhse tu maangun re_

_Tu ishq ishq sa mere  
Rooh mein aake bas ja  
Jis aur teri shehnaai  
Uss ore main bhaagun re”_

The song comes to an end. Aman is still speechless. Kartik looks at him, waiting for him to say something. When Aman is still not speaking, Kartik asks, “Wasn’t this the song you wanted? Or was it something else? Because I only know this song from that movie.”

Aman finally gets his brain back online and replies, “Yeah, this is the song I wanted. You sounded so beautiful there, Kartik.”

Kartik blushes, _like he actually blushes, Aman didn’t know that was possible but here he was._ He mutters out a low thank you and immediately gets up. “Okay guys, the meeting’s over. See you next week,” and practically runs out of there. _That was so strange._ Aman thinks in his head and by looking at everyone’s confused faces, he comes to the conclusion that the others were thinking the same. He shrugs and goes to leave the classroom. As he gets to the door, he notices Kartik is nowhere to be seen. He thinks that Kartik must have had an emergency and walks home.

Once he’s back home, his phone starts vibrating. He pulls it out thinking that it was a call from his parents but it turns out he has been added to a group chat on Facebook.

 _The heteros feat. Kartik,_ is the group chats name. _Oh god, me and a heterosexual. Someone, please stop this torture._ Aman thinks. He scrolls through the messages,

_Kartik Singh: Sorry, I had an emergency so I ran._

_Kartik Singh: Also, ew. I’m giving nicknames to everyone in the chat._

_Kartik set his own nickname to the homosexual_

_Kartik set Devika’s nickname to the bane of my existence_

_Kartik set Aman’s nickname to the love of my life_

There goes Aman’s brain.

_the homosexual: ahh perfect, we love to see._

_the bane of my existence: Kartik, what is this behavior?_

_the homosexual: I’m sorry I clicked it by mistake_

_the bane of my existence: you can’t click it by mistake_

_the homosexual: then change it if it bothers you_

_the bane of my existence: no, you are going to change it._

_the homosexual: you don’t tell me what to do.  
the bane of my existence: I can tell you what to do  
the homosexual: You don't tell me what to do!  
the bane of my existence: the nickname-_

_the homosexual: you don't tell me what to do!_  
the bane of my existence: Or what? Are you going to hit me?  
the homosexual: Do you want it?

_the bane of my existence: I don't..._

_the homosexual: But you're asking for it. You're dying for it! Get off my back. Got it?_

By the time Aman has finished reading the messages, he is on the floor with tears coming out of his eyes. He calms himself and types a reply,

_the love of my life: I don’t know why I’m friends with you guys._

_the homosexual: because we make you laugh, duh._

_the bane of my existence liked the homosexual’s message._

_the love of my life: okay, I can’t argue with that._

_the homosexual: okay, anyways, there is a reason I made this gc._

_the homosexual: does anyone have any plans for the weekend? If yes, cancel it._

_the bane of my existence: but why?_

_the homosexual: because I said so._

_the bane of existence: I hate it here._

_the homosexual: :)_

_the homosexual: I have plans for the weekend. First we are catching up on sleep because lord knows I’m fucking tired. Then we’re meeting at the mall to watch a movie (very open to suggestions), and the rest of the plan is to be made after this part of the plan is successful. Does everyone agree?_

_the bane of my existence: like I have any other choice :(_

_the love of my life: I’m down. Got nothing better to do anyway._

_the homosexual: so it’s fixed. The weekend here we go!!!!!!!_

_the love of my life and the bane of my existence liked the homosexual’s message._

After that the three continue talking about other stuff. Aman decides to order in for dinner and goes for pizza. As he is talking to the both of them, his food arrives. He sends a picture of his dinner with the caption “ _dinner for the night :)_ ”, both Kartik and Devika reply with an angry faced emoji scolding Aman for making them crave pizza.

After dinner, Aman goes to his bedroom to sleep for the night when his phone vibrates with a message. It is a message from Kartik on their personal chat.

_Kartik Singh: good night Aman, I can’t wait for the weekend. Hope you’re excited too!_

_Aman Tripathi: I’m very excited. Good night to you too, Kartik._

_Kartik Singh: :)_

With the thought of the weekend, Aman falls asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact: the weekend was also a part of this chapter's plan but then I decided to give the weekend its own chapter to not make this chapter feel rushed.   
> tune in next time for our favorite trio's weekend.   
> as always, your kudos and comments make my day so please keep them coming.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our favorite trio's weekend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! here is another fluffy and fun chapter before the drama~ starts  
> Enjoy!

_I have plans with Kartik._ With that thought Aman wakes on Saturday. He rubs his eyes to fully wake himself and takes a look at the watch. _9:30am_ the clock reads and Aman gets up from the bed. He finishes his morning routine and picks up his phone to check if he has any new message in the group chat. He sees five new messages waiting for him. They read,

_the homosexual: it’s the weekend my bros_

_the homosexual: wake up you clowns_

_the homosexual: if you guys don’t wake up in 5mins, I’m going to consider it to be homophobic_

_the bane of my existence: Kartik, we literally live together. I’m sleeping in the room next to you._

_the homosexual: *whispers* homophobia_

He sees that the messages were sent over an hour ago. _Didn’t he say he was going to catch up on sleep?_ Aman thinks and he decides to ask Kartik the same question.

_the love of my life: didn’t you say you were going to catch up on sleep? Then why are you awake so early?_

While waiting for the reply, Aman decides to heat up the leftover pizza from yesterday for breakfast. His phone vibrates when he is about to take a bite and he immediately picks up his phone abandoning his food.

_the homosexual: bold of you to assume I can sleep when I’m so excited._

_the love of my life: okay that makes sense._

_the love of my life: btw at what time are we meeting?_

_the homosexual: let's say around 1? It’s nearly 10:30 now and the perfection (me) needs time to get ready._

_Can’t argue with that._ Aman thinks and replies,

_the love of my life: okay then, see you at one._

_the homosexual liked the love of my life’s message._

By the time it’s 12:30, Aman is all set to leave. Since the mall where they are meeting is far from Aman’s apartment, he orders a cab. He gets to the mall at exactly 1:00 and looks around for Kartik and Devika. He spots the two near the entrance door and walks towards them. Before he can even utter a word, Kartik passes his phone to Aman and says “put your number in this. I got stressed that you weren’t going to show up.” Aman smiles at Kartik and takes his phone. He puts his number in and saves his name as “ _Aman :)_ ”. Kartik takes his phone and texts Aman. “Now you have my number too.”

The three then climb up to the floor where the movie theatre is and realize they haven’t discussed which movie they are planning on watching. Cue an argument about which movie to watch. All three of them have different picks. Devika wants to watch _The Joker_ , Kartik wants to watch _War_ and Aman wants to watch _Dream Girl_. The three continue arguing and shaming the other for their choices. Kartik nearly wins with his puppy dog eyes but Aman decides to play the new boy card and wins. The three end up watching _Dream Girl_. Even after protesting against the movie, Kartik and Devika enjoy the movie. The two are singing a song from the movie and dancing as they are leaving the movie theatre. Aman is recording the entire thing on his phone while the people around them are questioning their sanity. They notice that it was only 3:00. None of them wanted to go back home.

As they are walking aimlessly trying to decide what to do, Kartik spots something. “OH MY GOD, is that a gola stand?” Kartik yells startling both Aman and Devika.

“Why are you acting as if this is the first time you saw one?” Devika asks with a hand over her heart which is beating fast because of the scare she just got.

Kartik ignores her and runs towards the stand. Aman and Devika follow him. Kartik looks over at them and asks, “So which one do you guys want?”

“Kala Khatta for me,” Devika answers

“I’m not really in the mood for a gola, can you ask if they have lemonade?” Aman asks

Kartik makes a disgusted face and rolls his eyes but still asks if they have a lemonade. The three get their stuff and start walking around again. Aman’s eyes are fixed on Kartik as he sucks on his gola. Kartik notices Aman’s stare and asks “do you wanna try it?” while holding his gola close to Aman’s lips. Aman opens his mouth to reply with a no but instead Kartik pushes the gola inside his mouth. Devika and Kartik start laughing at Aman’s reaction. Aman takes it out of his mouth and glares at both of them. Unable to stay mad at them, Aman also joins in.

After that the three continue with their aimless wandering. Aman still can’t take his eyes off Kartik’s lips which are starting to get redder as he finishes his gola. He hears Devika clear her throat and says “Aman, you might want to drink your lemonade, I feel like you’re getting a little thirsty there.” Aman’s eyes widen and he immediately takes a sip of his lemonade and avoids looking in Kartik’s direction.

“Okay, what the hell are we even doing?” Kartik asks.

“We’re walking?” Devika replies but the reply sounds like a question.

“Woh toh mujhe bhi dikh raha haii, but I’m asking if we have any other thing to do other than just walk around like this,” Kartik asks nearly frustrated. ( _E_ _ven I can see that.)_

“Didn’t you say we’re gonna make plans after the movie plan was successful?” Aman asks.

“I did, but I was hoping I would get some suggestions from you guys,” Kartik replies. Just then Kartik’s face lights up like he had just the brightest idea. _He’s probably going to say something stupid._

“Let’s have a movie night at our apartment!” Kartik says jumping up and down like an excited child.

“A movie night? Didn’t we just have a movie day? How many movies can you watch in a single day?” Devika asks nearly done with her best friend.

“No I meant like a sleepover. But you know instead of painting each other’s nails and gossiping about who’s dating who, we’ll watch movies! Also, I can watch 5 movies in a day. Don’t ask me to elaborate.” Kartik says. Devika hums in reply as if agreeing to the plan.

 _See, told you something stupid was going to come out of his mouth. Also a sleepover? Yeah that’s not going to end well._ Aman thinks in his head already imagining the worst-case scenarios.

“What say, Aman? How about we have a sleepover tonight and then tomorrow we can go to an amusement park?” Kartik asks.

“Wait what, when did we come to the decision of going to an amusement park?” Devika asks who is as confused as Aman is.

“Right now, in my head. What else are we going to do tomorrow? Sit around and be bored? Nope, not on my watch” Kartik says and gives Aman a hopeful smile. Aman knows there is a huge possibility that he might mess up but one look at Kartik’s face and Aman’s brain stops operating. He sighs in defeat and agrees to Kartik’s plans. Kartik gives a huge smile and starts his victory dance. Devika left with no other choice, also agrees to the plan.

The three walk back to Kartik and Devika’s apartment. Once they get there, Kartik opens the door and says, “Sorry if it’s messy.”

“Like you really bother cleaning the apartment” Devika comments from next to him. Kartik glares at her and she just shrugs. Aman loves being around these two.

“So let’s do this. All of us will pick one movie and we’ll watch it no matter what, clear?” Kartik says. “But no one is allowed to pick an Ayushmann Khurrana movie” Kartik says this and looks at Aman pointedly.

“Why do you hate him so much, Kartik?” Aman asks because he is really confused.

“Why do you love him so much, Aman?” Kartik asks and at the same time Devika replies, “Kartik thinks they both look very similar and he believes that the people around him should like only one of them, and yes if your choice isn’t him, then you aren’t his friend.” Aman can’t help the loud laugh that comes out of him at this revelation.

“Okay can we please stop bullying me and pick a movie?” Kartik asks. The three of them pick a movie they want to watch, Devika picks _The Conjuring_ because she knows Kartik is terrified of that movie which earns her a slap from Kartik. Aman picks _Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone_ because he’s been looking to start the _Harry Potter series_ for a long time and Kartik picks _Crazy Rich Asians,_ as it is one of the movies on his to watch list.

They decide to go with _The Conjuring_ first so that they can get it out of the way. Aman learns that Kartik’s worst nightmare is watching a horror movie alone. Throughout the movie, Kartik hides his face in his hands or cuddles to the person next to him, who happens to be Aman. At one point, he gets up from his place to make some popcorn and Aman misses the warmth of his body next to him. By the time the movie ends, Aman is really wondering how he is still alive and breathing.

They decide to take a break before starting the next movie. They look at the time and notice that it’s nearly 8:00 pm and decide to order in their dinner. They start _Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone_ while they wait for their dinner to arrive. By the time, the movie ends, it’s nearly 10:00 pm. The three decide to bring the blankets in the living room and sleep there for the night. They play _Crazy Rich Asians_ and get comfortable. The movie comes to an end by midnight and Aman notices that both Devika and Kartik are fast asleep. He gets up and turns off the TV before going back to his spot and settling in for the night.

The next morning, Aman wakes to the sound of muffled conversations. In his sleepy state, he can’t make out what the people around him are trying to say. _Wait, people? I thought I lived alone._ Aman thinks and opens his eyes. He notices both Kartik and Devika hovering over him. He screams because he has not yet realized that he is not in his own apartment. That results in both Kartik and Devika screaming.

“Okay everyone calm down, why are we screaming?” Kartik asks finally getting his braincells to work.

Aman looks around and realizes that he is not in his apartment and everything that happened yesterday come rushing to him. He slaps himself in the head and says “don’t worry, it’s me. I forgot where I was for a moment there.” Kartik and Devika try really hard to contain their laugh but they are unable to do so.

After that entire mess, the three decide to get ready for their day out to the amusement park. They make a stop at Aman’s apartment so that he can change his clothes. Once they get to the park, they buy the tickets. The three decide to go to the haunted house first. They show their tickets and get inside. Once in, Kartik holds their hands and says “please don’t let go.” They start finding their way out and get scared by everything that comes in their way. At one point, right before the exit, a head pops out from the ceiling scaring the shit out of Kartik who jumps and nearly starts crying. Aman who can’t see this, volunteers to take Kartik back towards the entrance. Once they come out, they notice that Devika is already there, waiting for them.

“That was the last jumpscare they had” she says and Aman and Kartik feel like idiots.

After that, Devika decides to go on into the Jurassic Park-like attraction while Kartik and Aman who are too terrified from the haunted house decide to check out other things. As they are walking around, they notice a photo booth. Kartik pulls him towards the photo booth and asks the person in charge to give them two copies of the photos. The person informs them that they can do four poses for the photos.

For the first pose, Aman picks up a photo frame prop and places it in front of their faces. The two stand next to each other, Aman puts his hand on Kartik’s waist and Kartik rests his hand on Aman’s shoulder. For the next pose, the person hands them a bouquet of red roses and the two hold it with goofy grins on their faces. For the third pose, Kartik turns Aman, so that Aman’s back is facing his front and places his hands on Aman’s waist. Aman pretends to do the iconic _Titanic_ pose and the third picture gets taken. For the final pose, they bring back the photo frame and stand at the opposite ends of the frame so that only half of their faces are visible. They grin at each other trying not to burst out laughing. The person prints the copies and hands in over to them. Aman can’t believe how happy he looks in the photos. _This is one memory that’s going to stay with me forever,_ Aman thinks.

They go around and ride a few rides before they spot Devika again. “Guess you two had fun without me?” she asks pretending to be mad but even she can’t help smiling looking at the happy faces of Kartik and Aman. They apologize to her and the trio decides to go on a final ride before moving to the games. They go on the _Columbus_ and by the time they get off, their throats feel sore from all the screaming they did.

They go towards the game stalls after the ride. The first game they play is where they have to throw a ring at the item they want. Aman stays out of the game opting to cheer for them instead. Devika and Kartik are determined to win something for Aman, _spoiler alert, they both end up losing._

For the next game, they are required to shoot at the balloons to win prizes, again Kartik and Devika are determined to win something for Aman but this time, Aman who decided to join ends up winning a teddy bear which he keeps for himself after seeing Kartik and Devika fight for who gets to keep it. They continue playing other games and in the end, Aman has a teddy bear, a dolphin and a SpongeBob stuffed toy in his hand while Kartik and Devika are drinking the can juice they won as compensation because the vendor was tired of them. _But hey we had fun, and that’s all that matters._ Aman thinks.

After that, they are all very tired so they decide to go to McDonald's for dinner and drop off Aman at his apartment. Aman goes up to his apartment and calls his parents once he realizes that he hasn’t talked to them in three days. He has a small conversation where he tells them where he had been. They are happy he is out having fun instead of sleeping his day away. He says his goodbyes and hangs up. He notices that he has a new notification on Facebook which says that Kartik has tagged him in a post.

**_Kartik Singh_ **

_Posted 15 mins ago_

_Think this should be the picture that we put in our wedding invitation, what do you think **Aman Tripathi**?_

Aman’s brain short-circuits when he reads the caption. He opens the comment box to see Devika’s comment asking when they went to the photo booth and why did they leave her and sees that Kartik has replied saying that they went when she was too busy with her dinosaurs. He comments on the post with a simple yes to which Kartik reacts with a heart.

After that amazing weekend, nobody could have prepared Aman for what was about to come and frankly, he wasn’t ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so any theories on what's gonna happen next? please tell me your thoughts on this chapter.  
> kudos, comments and all the nice stuff is always welcomed and appreciated.  
> see you next time!  
> also, the photo booth pictures are inspired by the interview Jeetushmann did for bookmyshowin on Instagram


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone enters their life and Aman gets stupider.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, please try not to kill me by the end and enjoy i guess?

_Back to college, but at least I have Kartik now._ With that thought Aman wakes up on Monday morning. He immediately starts getting ready for the day to have some more time with Kartik before he has to go to class. He arrives at the college with 30 minutes to spare. As he starts collecting his books from his locker, he feels a presence behind him. He turns around and sees Kartik with his hands raised as if he was planning on scaring Aman. Aman laughs at his failed attempt and Kartik starts pouting at him. He moves to ruffle Kartik’s hair but Kartik ducks his head before he can even touch his head.

“If you value your life, I would suggest you stay away from my hair. It takes me hours to get it this perfect” Kartik says and from behind him, Devika manages to ruffle his hair. Kartik lets out a very loud squeal and turns around to scold Devika who starts running away from him. He, instead of chasing Devika, focuses on fixing his hair and once he is satisfied enough asks Aman if it looks okay.

“It looks perfect Kartik. Now let’s go, I have a class to attend” Aman replies and grabs Kartik’s elbow pulling him out of the locker room and towards his classroom. Once they get there, Aman lets go of Kartik’s elbow and stands there waiting for Kartik to say something. When Kartik says nothing and makes no move to leave, Aman looks up at Kartik and sees him looking at Aman’s face with a weird look on his face. Aman waves his hand in front of Kartik’s face to bring him back and he can see Kartik visibly snap of it.

“What’s wrong? Is there something on my face?” Aman asks touching his face.

“No, it looks perfect” Kartik replies with a weird smile on his face and turns to leave waving at Aman.

 _Why is he so strange?_ Aman thinks as he enters the classroom.

The next two classes pass smoothly and the lunch break comes. As always, Kartik and Devika pick him up from his class and they go towards the cafeteria making a small conversation. They grab their lunch and take a seat at their regular table. As they are talking about how boring their classes were, someone approaches their table.

“Hey, are you Kartik Singh? The president of the LGBT+ club?” the person asks. Aman looks up to see a good looking boy with messy hair looking hopefully at Kartik.

“Yes, that’s me. And who might you be?” Kartik asks turning to face him. Aman sees from the corner of his eye that Kartik is fully checking out the boy. _Wait, what? What the hell is going on here?_ Aman thinks trying to process whatever is going on there.

“Oh, I’m Ranveer. New boy here,” the boy, Ranveer, replies.

“Hello Ranveer, are you sitting with anyone? If not come join us,” Kartik says smiling at the boy.

“No, I can join you guys, thanks” Ranveer says and takes the empty seat, _which happens to be next to Kartik._

“So you are looking to join the LGBT+ club? How did you know there’s a club like that in the college, it isn’t on the notice board,” Devika asks him looking a little suspicious.

“Oh, I saw it on the confessions page. Someone had asked if there was one and the comments said that there is and he is the president so I came here looking to join the club. I’m bisexual actually,” Ranveer says smiling at Devika.

 _The confessions page. He came here because of my confession._ Aman thinks. He notices how comfortable the boy is getting with Kartik and Devika. Aman is rightfully pissed. But instead of joining the conversation, Aman does the most Aman thing to do, he runs away.

“Hey guys, I just remembered I have something to do, I’ll talk to you guys later,” Aman gets up and runs away before any of them can reply.

Aman goes back to his classroom and puts his head in his hand. _Why did I run away?_ Aman thinks. His phone vibrates with a message and he pulls it out to see a message from Kartik which reads,

_Kartik <3: hey, are you okay? What was so important that you ran away without finishing your lunch?_

_Me: I needed to ask something to my teacher._

_Kartik <3: you seriously need to take more care of yourself Aman. _

_Me: I’ll try. Look I’ll talk to you later, okay?_

_Kartik <3: you better. _

Aman tries to smile but thinks back at everything that happened at the cafeteria and bangs his head on the desk. At the end of the day, Aman goes to the regular spot that they meet at and sees Kartik and Devika with that Ranveer and Aman again wants to run away. But this time, he goes over and says a small hi to everyone. Kartik’s face lights up when he sees Aman and he immediately comes to stand next to him. That makes Aman smile. He hears Devika ask Ranveer how he plans on getting home and he replies that he’ll walk home. The four then start walking towards their home when Aman realizes that Ranveer lives near Kartik and Devika’s apartment complex. Aman wants to punch something or some _one._

Once Aman gets home, he calls his parents. He tells them that he didn’t have a good day today and just wants to rest. His parents understand and let him rest. They ask if he wants to talk to Goggle about his day and he just says no. He says his goodbyes and hangs up. He then goes to his bedroom and decides to take a nap before getting started on dinner.

For the next few days, Ranveer clings to Kartik and Devika like a koala and Aman is very annoyed. Everywhere they go, Ranveer is there. The locker room, the cafeteria, on their way home and yes even the new group chat with him. Aman also notices that Kartik and Ranveer are getting closer as the days pass and feels as if there is nothing he can do. But another thing he notices is Kartik’s face whenever Aman is near him. He gets a weird look on his face and Aman doesn’t know what to make of it. Aman decides to ponder on that later right now he needs to think of something about this Ranveer.

Friday comes along and brings the LGBT+ club meeting with it. Aman goes into the classroom only to see Kartik in the front and Devika and Ranveer on either side. _That bitch is sitting in MY spot_. Aman is ready to murder someone. By someone, he means Ranveer. But since Aman is a soft little baby, he instead goes to sit on one of the empty desks. He looks at Kartik to see that he is waving Aman over. He smiles and gestures that he is okay in his spot. Kartik pulls out his phone and gestures Aman to look at his.

_Kartik <3: hey, why aren’t you coming here? _

_Me: there’s no place there, don’t worry I’m okay where I am._

_Kartik <3: but I’m not :( please come here. _

_Me: aw come on, at least I’m here and not at the STEM club meeting._

_Kartik <3: still :(_

Aman laughs at Kartik’s message and looks up at him. He mouths, “You’re crazy”

Kartik just gives him a huge smile in return. The meeting starts and Kartik introduces Ranveer to the club. The people start discussing their problems and to no one’s surprise, Ranveer helps most of them find a good solution. By the end of the meeting, Aman is on the verge of ripping his hair out. Once again, everyone asks Kartik to sing a song. Ranveer from next to him also starts encouraging Kartik. Kartik looks over at Aman and Aman gives him a thumbs-up as an encouragement. Kartik shakes his head with a smile and agrees to sing. This time he doesn’t have a guitar with him so he starts tapping his hands against the desk.

“ _Main bhi hoon tu bhi hai aamne saamne_

_Dil ko behka diya ishq ke jaam ne_

_Main bhi hoon tu bhi hai aamne saamne_

_Dil ko behka diya ishq ke jaam ne_

_Musalsal nazar barasti rahi_

_Taraste hai hum bheege barsaat mein_

_Ik mulaqaat_

_Ek mulaqat mein, baat hi baat mein_

_Unka yun muskurana ghazab ho gaya_

_Kal talak woh jo mere khayalon mein the_

_Rubaru unka aana ghazab ho gaya_

_Mohabbat ki pehli mulaqaat ka_

_Asar dekho na jaane kab ho gaya_

_Ik mulaqaat mein, baat hi baat mein_

_Unka yun muskurana ghazab ho gaya_

_Makhtawar dard ka kuch khayal nahi hai_

_Ek taraf main kahin, ek taraf dil kahin_

_Aankhon ka aitbaar mat katna_

_Yeh uthe toh katleaam karti hai_

_Koi inki nigahon pe pahra lagao yaaron_

_Yeh nigaahon se hi khanzar ka kaam karti hai_

_Makhtawar dard ka kuch khayal nahi hai_

_Ek taraf main kahin, ek taraf dil kahin_

_Ehsaas ki zameen pe kyun dhuaan uth raha_

_Hai jal raha dil mera kyun pata kuch nahi_

_Kyun khayalon mein kuch barf si gir rahi_

_Rait ki khwahishon mein nami bhar rahi_

_Musalsal nazar barasti rahi_

_Taraste hai hum bheege barsaat mein_

_Ik mulaqaat_

_Ek mulaqat mein, baat hi baat mein_

_Unka yun muskurana ghazab ho gaya_

_Kal talak woh jo mere khayalon mein the_

_Rubaru unka aana ghazab ho gaya_

_Mohabbat ki pehli mulaqaat ka_

_Asar dekho na jaane kab ho gaya_

_Ik mulaqaat mein, baat hi baat mein_

_Unka yun muskurana ghazab ho gaya_

_Oo…”_

Aman realizes that the song is from _Dream Girl_. He smiles at the memory of that day and is very happy that Kartik sang a song from a movie he was so against. He looks up at Kartik and sees him looking back at him. Aman pulls out his phone and texts Kartik,

_Me: that was so beautiful, Kartik._

Kartik pulls out his phone and smiles at the message.

_Kartik <3: thank you so much, Aman. You have no idea how much that means to me coming from you. _

Aman just smiles in return and the meeting comes to an end. The four of them start walking their way back home when Kartik asks if they have any plans for the weekend. Both Devika and Ranveer say they are mostly free and Kartik looks at Aman waiting for his answer. _There’s no way in hell I’m going to spend an entire weekend with Ranveer._ He doesn’t think about the other part before he says he’s busy. The other part being that Kartik, Devika and Ranveer are going to spend the weekend together. Aman really isn’t the brightest bulb in this fairy light. Kartik is disappointed to say the least but lets Aman go making him promise to text Kartik if he gets bored at any point of the day. Aman makes that promise and goes to his apartment.

Once there, he decides to call Goggle for her insight on this entire situation. Goggle picks up the phone and yells a loud hello like she always does.

“Hi Goggle,” Aman replies, his voice sounding extremely tired.

“Is something wrong? Why do you sound so sad?” Goggle asks. _Thank you God for giving me such a helpful sister, I don’t know what I’d do without her._

He immediately starts telling Goggle about everything that happened from the last weekend until today. 

“Aman, you are hopeless. Agar yehi chalta raha toh main ek jiju ka sapna dekhna chod hi dungi” Google replies. ( _If you continue like this, I’ll give up on the hope of having a brother-in-law.)_

“Ab kya kiya maine?” Aman asks really confused. ( _What did I do now?)_

“Kya kiya? Aman, are you blind? That boy is seriously so into you. I haven’t even seen him in real life but even I can see his interest,” Goggle replies nearly done with her idiot brother. ( _What did I do?)_

“What are you even talking about, I just told you he was checking Ranveer out after we spent that entire weekend together. How did you even come to that conclusion from there?” Aman asks really confused by his sister’s logic.

“Let me ask you something Aman. Is this Ranveer dude attractive? Think from Kartik’s perspective” Goggle asks him. He tries to put himself in Kartik’s place and realizes that Ranveer is attractive.

“Um yeah he is?” Aman replies.

“Aman, you have your answer. Kartik is a man, a single man, he is allowed to find people attractive. Its basic human nature,” Goggle replies and Aman finally understands that part.

“But how do you know that Kartik is into me?” Aman asks trying to find anything he might have missed.

“You really are blind. Okay, think about whatever you just said to me, the whole weekend, the texting, telling you be next to him, the touching, all of that signals to one thing Aman and that is that Kartik likes you,” Goggle tells him finally opening his eyes to the obvious signs that were in front of him.

“Wait if he likes me, why hasn’t he made a move yet? And no Kartik Singh is not a chicken,” Aman asks this last question so that he is fully clear.

“If only someone had the strength to come out to him,” Goggle hums and Aman finally realizes the biggest missing piece of this puzzle. He nearly punches himself in the face for being so blind.

“Thank you Goggle. I really don’t know what I’d do without you. When I come home, I’ll bring you whatever you want,” Aman cries into the phone.

“The only thing I need is a brother-in-law, Aman. Bring him home as your boyfriend and I’ll be the happiest girl in the world,” Goggle replies smiling at how happy his brother sounds compared to when he answered the phone.

“The first thing I’ll do on Monday is come out to him Goggle,” Aman assures her.

“That’s all I want from you. Please let me know how that went,” Goggle replies and hangs up after saying goodbye.

In this way, the weekend passes and Monday comes along. Aman wakes with a single thing in his mind that is coming out to Kartik and making a move. In that high, he gets ready for college and leaves without breakfast. He goes into the locker room and takes his stuff out while he waits for Kartik to come. 15 minutes pass and there is no sign of Kartik. Aman gets a little stressed and decides to look around. He spots Devika leaning against Kartik’s locker and asks her where Kartik is. She lets him know that Kartik went somewhere with Ranveer and points to the direction in which they went. Aman thanks her and goes in that direction.

Once he reaches where Kartik and Ranveer are, Aman wishes he never went there. Because right in front of him, Kartik is hugging Ranveer so tight that no air is passing between them. Both of them have huge grins on their faces. Aman can hear his heart breaking and he does the one thing he is good at. He runs. He runs till he can’t see them anymore. He realizes that he has reached in front of his classroom and he immediately goes in and takes a seat at the back. He puts his head in his hands and lets his tears fall. He hears his phone vibrate in his pocket and he pulls it out to see a text from Kartik which reads,

_Kartik <3: hey, where are you? Devika said you asked for me but Ranveer had something important to tell me so I went with him. _

_Me: don’t worry about me, I had to leave because I had an emergency. I’ll see you tomorrow._

_Kartik <3: Is everything okay? Do you need me to come? _

_Me: no Kartik, please leave me alone. I don’t wanna talk rn._

_Kartik <3: okay Aman, but please call me later. _

Aman leaves the message at seen and puts his phone away. He suffers through all his classes and avoids the cafeteria. At the end of the day, he leaves his class after everyone leaves. He hides in the locker room until he sees Kartik leave. After they leave, Aman gets out and walks his way home thinking about the day. _So much for coming out and making a move._

Once Aman gets home, he falls on his bed and sobs his heart out. There is no way Aman was prepared for the rest of the days to come. For the first time since coming to Delhi, Aman misses his home and his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aman @ Kartik's feelings: I pretend I do not see it.  
> please let me know your thoughts on this chapter  
> should I continue writing? should I stop writing and move to the Himalayas?  
> as always, kudos, comments and criticisms are welcomed.  
> till next time!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Fresher's Party happens and Aman realizes something very important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the reason why this story has a slow burn tag.   
> I'm very proud of this chapter and I hope you guys love it too.   
> please, enjoy it!

_Are they actually together?_ With that thought Aman wakes up. As soon as he opens his eyes, he realizes that he has a horrible headache. _Never cry yourself to sleep kids._ Aman thinks. He doesn’t want to get out of the bed and face the world outside. He buries his face into his pillow and just wants to disappear. But he still gets up from the bed and starts getting ready for the day. He takes a look in the mirror and is horrified at the state he is in. His hair resembles a bird’s nest and his eyes are puffy and red. His cheeks have tear tracks on them and his lips look dry. _I look exactly how I feel. Shitty._ Aman thinks but makes an effort to look presentable. He drags himself into the kitchen and has cereal for breakfast. After breakfast, he drags his body towards the college.

Once he reaches, his headache gets worse at the noise in the halls. He already hates today. _Why am I even here? I could have been at home binge watching some show but noooo I had to come here and suffer._ Aman thinks. But since he can’t run away now, he goes to the locker room to grab his stuff. As he is closing the locker, a figure appears leaning against the locker next to his. He knows who it is so he pretends as if he hasn’t noticed him yet.

“Aman, are you okay?” Kartik asks when he realizes that Aman hasn’t noticed him yet.

“Yeah, I’m amazing. What makes you think that I’m not okay?” Aman replies sarcastically.

“I really don’t know if that was sarcasm or not. You left without informing anyone yesterday, I was worried.” Kartik says and he genuinely sounds worried. Aman doesn’t have it in him to be rude to this beautiful boy so he closes his locker and turns to face Kartik. Kartik gasps when he sees Aman’s face, especially his puffy eyes.

“Did you cry yourself to sleep last night Aman?” Kartik asks moving his hands to touch Aman’s eyes.

“n-no I didn’t. Just didn’t get enough sleep last night that’s all,” Aman lies when he sees the concern in Kartik’s eyes.

“Aman, I’m not dumb. If something is wrong, talk to me. I’ll help you or if you want I’ll try to distract you. But please let me help you,” Kartik replies cupping Aman’s face in his hands. Aman is trying very hard not to start crying. He pulls Kartik’s hands away from his face and turns around.

“Everything is fine Kartik. If something comes up I’ll let you know. I have a class to go to, I’ll see you later,” Aman replies.

“Can I at least walk you till there?” Kartik asks sounding so sad Aman can feel his heart breaking.

“If you don’t have any other important thing to do then sure,” Aman replies.

“No. Nothing is more important than you,” Kartik says and immediately grabs Aman’s hand pulling him towards the direction of his classroom.

Aman lets Kartik pull him. He keeps on repeating the last thing Kartik said to him in his head. _Nothing is more important than you._ But Aman knows he shouldn’t think much about it because Kartik has someone else in his life. Kartik is not his and that is one thing Aman cannot change now. _If only I came out to him sooner._

Kartik stops at the door of the classroom and lets go of Aman’s hand. Aman waits for Kartik to say something but Kartik stays silent and just looks at him. Aman, unable to stand it any longer, runs into Kartik’s arms and just buries his face into Kartik’s chest. Kartik wraps his arms around Aman’s frame and puts his head on Aman’s shoulder. He holds in his tears and just melts into the hug. Then and there, Aman makes a decision. _I can’t let this boy go. I don’t care if I have him as my friend or my boyfriend. I want him in my life._

“Thank you Kartik,” Aman mumbles into Kartik’s shirt and in return, Kartik holds him tighter.

After that, Aman tries his best to join the three of them. He notices that Kartik and Ranveer sit next to each other almost every time Aman isn’t near, whispering and giggling like idiots. But once Aman comes to join them, Kartik is by his side. He knows Kartik is trying his best not to make Aman feel excluded but he still feels as if he is coming in between Kartik and Ranveer. So whenever he has a chance to get out of there, he takes it.

In this way, Friday comes and so does the LGBT+ club meeting. Aman cannot bear to sit through that meeting and hear Kartik sing a song for Ranveer. So he decides to text Kartik to let him know that he has something important to attend and he can’t come to the meeting. Kartik replies almost immediately,

_Kartik: what? Come on Aman don’t be like this, can your something imp wait?_

_Me: I’m sorry yaar but I wish I could miss it._

_Kartik: Aman can I ask you something?_

_Me: yeah sure_

_Kartik: are you avoiding me? I seriously feel like you’re trying to avoid me. If I have done anything wrong let me know. I’ll apologize and make everything better._

_Yes, Kartik I am ignoring you, but try to understand, I can’t see you with someone else, I’m trying my best here._ Aman thinks in his head but replies,

_Me: no I’m not avoiding you. I really have something imp to do._

_Kartik: okay, I’m trusting you to tell me if anything happens._

_Me: :)_

After the conversation Aman walks home. Once Aman gets there he immediately falls down on the sofa and rubs his hand over his face. He is extremely tired, both physically and mentally. He wants to go back to Allahabad and pretend all of this never happened. He knows he is being overdramatic but after suffering through these past few days, there is nothing else Aman would rather do.

The weekend passes in a blur and it is back to college for Aman. He wakes up, goes through his morning routine and leaves for college. After thinking throughout the weekend, Aman has decided that he will stop being dramatic and focus on his studies while trying his best to maintain a good friendship with Kartik and be the best support in his and Ranveer’s relationship. He goes to the locker room and opens his locker to find a flyer sticking out. He reads and finds out that the college is organizing a Fresher’s Party for the new students and they are requested to gather in the college auditorium on Friday in formal clothing.

“So, are you planning on coming?” he hears someone ask. When he looks up he notices Kartik, Devika and Ranveer, and they are waiting for him to reply.

“I don’t know, probably?” Aman replies unsure.

“Aww come on Aman, it’ll be fun. Please, pretty please?” Kartik says batting his eyelashes with a creepy smile on his face. That makes Aman laugh.

“Okay okay I’ll come. Just please never do that again, you’re scary,” Aman replies in between his laughs.

“Yeah! I promise you won’t regret being there,” Kartik replies and gives Aman a huge grin, his face glowing.

And thus begins Kartik “Zyada” Singh’s preparations for the Fresher’s Party. On Tuesday, Kartik sends a message in the four people group chat which is called, _Kartik and the two heteros with one 50% hetero._

 _I really hate it here._ Aman thinks _._

_Kartik Singh: nickname time_

_Kartik Singh: since I watched Aladdin again today I’m theming the gc around it_

_Kartik changed his own nickname to Princess Jasmine_

_Kartik changed Ranveer’s nickname to Genie_

_Kartik changed Devika’s nickname to Abu_

_Kartik changed Aman’s nickname to Aladdin_

_Princess Jasmine: ahh finally perfect._

_Abu: and you guys wonder why I hate Kartik._

_Princess Jasmine: At least I didn’t name you Jafar, be grateful, peasant_

_Abu: that would have been better, Jafar is hot now_

_Genie: I agree._

_Aladdin: I agree too._

_Princess Jasmine: Aman, you’re supposed to be straight._

_Aladdin: I don’t know how that’s relevant when I’m admiring a good looking man._

_Abu and Genie liked Aladdin’s message._

_Princess Jasmine: this is hopeless, I forgot why I even messaged._

_This is exactly why I can’t let this boy go._ Aman thinks. In this way, Kartik messages the group chat every day asking for opinions on his hair, clothes, accessories and whatnot. By Friday everyone is tired of Kartik and has muted the group chat.

On Friday, Aman wakes up late since the classes have been called off due to the Fresher’s Party. After having breakfast, Aman runs to the dry cleaning store where he had given his formals to be dry cleaned. After coming back, He gets started on lunch and eats it. By the time it’s 3:30 pm, he decides to take a shower. By the time it’s 5:00, Aman is all ready to go. He is wearing an all-black outfit with a coat that has golden accents on the shoulder and chest area. He decided to leave his shirt untucked and is wearing black and gold loafers with the outfit showing off his ankles. He looks really good in his opinion.

The four of them had decided that they would go to the college together in Devika’s father’s car. Kartik had called him to let him know that they’ll pick him up at around 5:30. At exactly 5:30. Aman gets a text from Kartik asking him to come down so that they can leave. Aman grabs his phone, his keys and sunglasses (an extra addition to his outfit) and leaves his apartment. When he gets to the car, he sees Kartik waiting outside looking in his direction. Despite knowing Kartik’s entire outfit, Aman is left dumbfounded when he sees Kartik in his outfit.

Kartik is wearing a white shirt that is tucked into his black pants. Over it, he is wearing a black coat with flower prints in green. He is also wearing a white bow tie and black formal shoes. Aman is amazed by the way Kartik looks so beautiful without even trying. He walks there before he can freeze in his spot and stare at Kartik all night long. He notices Ranveer on the driver’s seat and Devika, who is in the seat next to him, informs him that Ranveer has a driver’s license. He gets in the car and waits for Ranveer to start driving. When some time passes and no one makes a move to leave, Aman is confused. He looks next to him and sees that Kartik is still standing outside.

“Kartik, are you okay? Why aren’t you coming in?” Aman asks looking out of the open door. Devika taps his shoulder and hands him a bottle of water. Aman is really confused as to what is happening.

“Once you manage to snap him out of his daze, offer him this. He looks really thirsty,” Devika says and Ranveer bursts out laughing. Aman is still very confused. He waves his hand in front of Kartik who seems frozen in his spot. He calls out his name but gets nothing in response. Aman is getting really concerned. As a final resort, he grabs Kartik’s shoulders and shakes him really hard. Kartik finally snaps out of his daze.

“Are you okay?” Aman asks once he thinks Kartik is back to normal.

“Uh, y-yeah perfectly normal……. As normal as a human can get. Look so normal. Perfectly fine, nothing’s wrong. Nuh-uh,” Kartik starts rambling and looking in every direction except for where Aman is.

“Okay I’ll believe you,” Aman says feeling suspicious at Kartik’s weird behavior. He hands him the bottle of water and says, "Devika said you might be a little thirsty.”

Right after Aman says that Devika and Ranveer start laughing as if someone just told them the funniest joke. Aman is really questioning their sanity right now. After that, Kartik takes a seat and they go on their way. Once they reach the college, Aman is delighted to see the effort the college management has put at the party.

They make their way towards the auditorium when right outside, they notice that they have set up a banner where a photographer is taking pictures. The four of them go there and get their pictures taken as a group. Devika and Ranveer also get some solo pictures taken. Once it is Kartik’s turn, he pulls Aman with him and raises his hand making a half heart, Aman understands what Kartik is trying to do and he joins with his own hand completing the heart. Aman’s heart is beating very fast and he feels for a moment that he and Kartik are together, not as friends, but as _boyfriends._

The thought gets crushed when Devika and _Ranveer_ join them. The four make their way inside the auditorium. Aman loves the decorations that the college has done for the evening. They have also set up a stage which means they are probably planning on having some performances. His question gets answered when the host, who happens to be the ECA coordinator of the college announces that the first performer is going to be on the stage soon.

Once the performances start, the energy of the room is heightened. Everyone is dancing and having a fun time. At one point, Kartik disappears but Aman is too into the performances to notice his absence. He only notices that Kartik is missing when the performer leaves the stage. He goes around looking for Kartik only to be stopped by the host who welcomes the next performer, who happens to be _Kartik._

 _Wait what, Kartik is performing? This bitch literally talked about every irrelevant thing in the chat but didn’t mention this? I’m going to kill him._ Aman thinks and runs towards the front of the stage. When he gets there, he notices that Kartik is setting up his guitar. He then taps the mic and starts speaking.

“Hello everyone. I hope you all are having an amazing evening. I’m here to perform a song for you guys that I wrote very recently for someone who has become a huge part of my life in the last few weeks. This song is called _Mere Liye Tum Kaafi Ho,_ please enjoy,”

“ _Teri meri aisi jud gayi kahaani  
Ke jud jaata jaise do nadiyon ka paani  
Mujhe aage tere sath behna hai  
  
Jaana tumhein to hai teh bata jaani  
Ke aye zindagi kaise banti suhaani  
Mujhe har pal tere sath rehna hai  
  
Tu kuchh adhoore se  
Hum bhi kuchh aadhe  
Aadha aadha hum jo dono mila dein  
To ban jaayegi apni ik zindgaani  
  
Yeh duniya mile na mile humko  
Khushiyan bhaga dengi har gham ko  
Tum sath ho phir kya baaki ho  
Mere liye tum kaafi ho  
  
Mere liye tum kaafi ho  
Mere liye tum kaafi ho  
  
Ek aasmaan ke hain hum do sitare ke  
Ke takraate hain toot’te hain bechare  
Mujhe tumse par yeh kehna hai  
  
Chakke jo do sath chlte hain thode to  
Ghisne ragadne mein chhilte hain thode  
Par yoon hi to kat’te hain kachche kinaare  
  
Yeh dil jo dhala teri aadt mein  
Shaamil kiya hai ibaadat mein  
Thodi khuda se bhi maafi ho  
Mere liye tum kaafi ho  
  
Mere liye tum kaafi ho  
Mere liye tum kaafi ho  
Mere liye tum kaafi ho_”

Aman is speechless.

Aman has no words.

Aman is frozen in his spot.

In short, Aman is _in love._

Aman is in love with this boy.

_Aman Tripathi is in love with Kartik Singh._

Aman is in love with the Kartik who is currently on the stage with the biggest grin in his face.

Aman is in love with the Kartik who is now running towards him.

Aman is in love with the Kartik who isn’t _his._

And that isn’t something he wants to think about right now. So he runs. He runs towards the terrace of the college. He runs until there is nowhere to go. He doesn’t realize someone has followed him until he hears heels clicking towards him. He turns around and sees Devika there.

“Why are you always running Aman? Don’t you get tired?” He knows Devika means it as a joke but he can’t help but dwell on it. _Aren’t you tired of running away from your problems Aman?_

He does not reply so Devika continues.

“You know you can talk to us at any moment right? We won’t judge you. We’ll accept you the way you are Aman. Just let us in please,” Devika pleads to him. She starts to walk away when Aman thinks, _it’s just two words, Aman, just tell her. Tell her that you’re gay. Tell her that you love her best friend. Do it, Aman._

“Devika, wait,” Aman says. Devika turns around and looks at Aman with a hopeful look on her face.

_Devika, I’m gay and I’m in love with Kartik._

“You look absolutely beautiful tonight,” Aman says instead.

“Thank you, Aman,” Devika replies with a sad smile.

What both of them are unaware of is that someone else followed them as well. That, someone, didn’t notice Aman’s inner turmoil nor did they notice Devika’s sad smile. All they heard was the last two sentences that were spoken and they sounded really wrong if the other signs were ignored. _That, someone, was Kartik who was now heartbroken._

_(Kartik and Aman's looks are inspired by these pictures)_

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, how many of you all wanna join me in giving Aman some common sense?  
> please let me know your thoughts on this chapter  
> kudos, comments and all that good stuff is appreciated by your author and keeps her very motivated.  
> see you all the next time!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A night of emotional convesation for Kartik and Devika

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you all wanted Kartik's point of view, so that is what you're gonna get.   
> i thought this chapter was a mess but I'll let you all decide that.   
> enjoy!

_You look absolutely beautiful tonight._ Those words keep replaying in Kartik’s mind on his way home from the party. Aman is sitting next to him looking deep in thought. _God, he’s so beautiful. Why can’t he just be mine?_ Kartik thinks. Kartik really couldn’t take his eyes off Aman ever since he saw him that evening. When he first saw Aman in his suit, Kartik felt as if someone had knocked the oxygen out of his body. He really regretted not wearing his other silver coat as it would have perfectly complimented Aman’s outfit. And at that point all he wanted was to run up to Aman and grab him by the lapels of his coat and smash his lips against Aman’s. But he had bigger plans than that. He had planned on singing _Mere Liye Tum Kaafi Ho_ , a song he had written for Aman, and confessing his feelings in front of everyone. But well, we all know how that turned out.

After the whole terrace incident, Kartik came back down and immediately went looking for Ranveer. Kartik wasn’t the only one who had planned on confessing his feelings tonight. Ranveer, who had the biggest crush on Devika before he even knew who she was, had also planned on it. Even if Kartik’s own love life was a disaster, he wanted to be the perfect friend for Devika and help her get into a relationship with someone who appreciated her. And looking at Ranveer and Devika who are currently making heart eyes at one another, Kartik feels like he succeeded. _One point for team Kartik but zero points for team Karman._

Once they reach Aman’s apartment complex, Aman gets out of the car and waves them goodbye with a promise of texting them later tonight. He doesn’t meet Kartik’s eyes when he says it which makes Kartik feel a little sad. For the last few weeks he feels as if Aman is trying to avoid him. He never really gave it much thought as he felt he was overreacting. But thinking back at the terrace incident, _God that makes it sound like I saw them kiss or doing something that isn’t PG-13,_ everything is starting to make a little more sense. Because a few weeks ago, Ranveer started talking to them. Ranveer made his feelings for Devika very obvious since day 1 and there was no way Aman didn’t notice that. _Well he probably blames me for inviting Ranveer and ruining his chance with Devika._ Kartik thinks.

Soon, they reach to their apartment complex and Kartik leaves the car for the two lovebirds to say their goodbyes, as he is waiting out, Kartik thinks back to the time when Ranveer told him he liked Devika,

_Kartik was grabbing stuff from his locker one morning when he felt someone tapping his shoulders. He turned around to see Ranveer there smiling sheepishly at him looking very nervous._

_“Hey Ranveer, is everything alright? You look really nervous,” Kartik asks smiling at Ranveer._

_“Ye-yeah all’s well. Can I tell you something?” Ranveer whispers to Kartik._

_“Sure, go ahead,” Kartik replies and waits for Ranveer to start speaking._

_“Not here, can we go somewhere else? Somewhere with fewer people?” Kartik is starting to get a little suspicious but still agrees and lets Ranveer take him into one of the empty hallways._

_“What is it that you wanted to tell me Ranveer?” Kartik asks once they stop and Ranveer still hasn’t spoken a word._

_“Okay I’m just going to come out and say it,” Ranveer takes a deep breath and prepares himself, “I like Devika, no wait not like. I feel like like is a not a correct word to describe my feeling. I’m not sure if I like love her but I know it’s not like. It has gone beyond that,” Ranveer rambles. Kartik can feel a huge grin breaking out on his face and he impulsively hugs Ranveer really tight._

After that, when they returned Devika told him that Aman had gone looking for them so there is a huge chance that Aman heard their conversation and blames Kartik for ruining every chance he had with Devika. Because of this, Aman cannot even look him in the eyes and tries to avoid him whenever he can. He breaks out of his thoughts when he hears the car door open and a set of heels clicking towards him. He turns around and catches Devika who is happily running towards him. He hugs her tight and feels all his sadness from the day melt away. Nothing can take away the happiness of having someone like Devika in his life.

Once the two get home, they immediately go into their rooms to get changed into something more comfortable and talk about their day to each other. Once they change, they come out of their rooms. Devika goes to grab some blankets for them while Kartik goes to make hot chocolate for both of them. Once he is done, he goes to the living room holding two mugs and sees Devika snuggled in her blanket scrolling through the TV channels. He hands her the other mug and immediately gets into Devika’s blanket putting his head on her lap as she starts playing with his hair. He waits for Devika to start recounting her day and tell him about how Ranveer confessed his feelings to her but it never comes.

He looks up at her and sees her smiling sadly at him. He looks at Devika confused. He raises his eyebrows silently asking why she is looking at him like that.

“So your plan failed?” Devika asks. _Wait what, she knows? But I didn’t tell anyone about it then how?_

“Now you are thinking about how I know you had a plan for today. Kartik, my silly little Kartik, I have known you my whole life. I’m familiar with everything that goes inside that head of yours. I know you like Aman,” Devika says looking at him with such a soft smile Kartik can’t stop the tears that start coming from his eyes. He is so lucky to have Devika in his life and he will forever be thankful for the person who sent this angel in his life.

“I don’t think like is enough Devika. I love that boy. I love him with my entire being. I love him so much it hurts. I feel stressed when he isn’t around me. I feel like I’m going to lose my mind if I don’t talk to him for a day. I can’t imagine my life without him at this point,” Kartik sobs. Devika makes him sit up and puts his head on her shoulder and lets him cry. Once he is calm enough, Devika makes him face her and smiles at him.

“Tell me everything. I want to know how this started. Start from the very beginning,” Devika says and focuses her entire attention on Kartik. So Kartik begins from when he first saw Aman.

 _Kartik is getting ready to go home when he sees two people entering a classroom talking about giving their names for the clubs. **Wow, they are still accepting the students in the clubs, that’s amazing**_. _Kartik thinks and he is suddenly hit with a thought. **Oh shit, club, literature club meeting, Kartik you’re so stupid.**_ _Kartik thinks and immediately starts running towards the direction of the classroom where the meeting is happening. When he gets there, he notices all the students are in their seats except for one. But before he can get a better look at the student, the club president calls him out for being late. He apologizes and promises to not be late again. The club president allows him inside and he takes a seat behind the student who is standing. He pulls out his phone to text Devika to let her know that he has a club meeting when he hears the voice. The voice that sounds absolutely angelic to him. He looks to see that the student who was standing when he entered the class is speaking._

_“Um hi everyone, I’m Aman Tripathi. I come from Allahabad and I’m studying civil engineering here. The reason why I wanted to join this club is because I write some poetry and would love to share my work with everyone. Also I would like to know more about other’s materials as well.”_

**_Aman Tripathi. That’s a beautiful name for someone with such a beautiful voice. And engineering? The boy really has a death wish. AND HE WRITES POETRY? OH MY GOD, MY SOULMATE IS THAT YOU? And he seems so shy. I wonder if he plays for my team._** _Kartik thinks. He tries to get a good look at the boy’s face so that he knows whom to approach tomorrow but the boy doesn’t turn to face him even once._

_So when they are leaving the classroom, Kartik decides to run past him and get a good look at his face. As he is doing this, his hands brush against Aman’s hands and thus begins the explosions of dopamine in his mind. Kartik’s eye widens when he feels the sparks from just a small touch. When he looks at the boy’s face he understands why he is feeling like this. The boy has the most beautiful face Kartik has ever seen. The prettiest set of eyes and his lips look so kissable. Kartik knows if he stands there any longer, he’ll end up doing something that might end up in a bad way so he runs from there still thinking about the beautiful boy. **Aman Tripathi, I can’t wait to get to know you.**_

He comes back to the present when he hears Devika making inhumane noises next to him. He looks at her and says, “Are you okay?”

“You really expect me to be okay after hearing that Kartik?” Devika shoots back. Kartik understands how she feels. “So are you going to continue? When did you see him next? Was it when you went to talk to him? On and by the way I still don’t know what you whispered to me when you were panicking so if you are revealing everything else, you might as well tell me that too,” Devika says and waits.

“I think that is when I saw him the second time, I’m not really sure,” Kartik replies.

“What do you mean you’re not sure?” Devika asks

“You know the day after I met Aman for the first time was the second meeting of the LBGT+ club? I felt as if I saw him at the door when the meeting was about to end and I was singing,” Kartik says thinking. He had a feeling that the figure on the door that he saw looked very similar to Aman but that could have been his mind playing tricks at him.

“Wait so you think Aman was at the door when the meeting was about to end? So you think he wanted to join us or something?” Devika asks very intrigued by this development.

“I don’t know, that is what I wanted to confirm. That was the reason why I approached him the next time I saw him.” Kartik replies.

“And that is when the entire panicking and the first conversation happened?” Devika asks.

“Yeah. I got panicked because I thought I had ruined my chances by being too eccentric. I think I whispered that to you,” Kartik says.

“Wait is that what you whispered? You bitch if you had mentioned that you liked him I could have done something for you right then and there,”

“What would you have done Devi? Didn’t you hear when he said he was straight?” Kartik says sadly and Devika wants to slap some sense into her best friend. Even a blind person can see the love Aman has for Kartik. That boy doesn’t have a single straight thing in his body when he is around Kartik. But Devika decides to not tell Kartik that and let Aman come out to him when he is ready.

“Okay that makes sense. So what happened next? I know you didn’t give up because if you did we wouldn’t be here right now,” Devika waits for Kartik to continue.

“Of course I didn’t give up. I’m Kartik Singh,” Kartik says and laughs. “Okay moving on, from that day, I tried talking to him every day. Dropping him at his classes, picking him up from his class for the lunch break, going home with him, all of that just came naturally to me. Even if we were just friends, I was happy with the routine. Until he had to go and make me fall for him harder,”

_“Yeah, this is the song I wanted. You sounded so beautiful there, Kartik.” Aman says and Kartik feels his heart bursting. He is so into this boy it hurts him every day. He is looking at Kartik with so much admiration that he cannot take it anymore. Kartik immediately gets up and dismisses the meeting. He runs to the boy’s bathroom. He puts his hands on the counter and looks at his reflection in the mirror_

_“Aman Tripathi, what are you doing to me? Why am I falling for you so hard? Why can’t I just accept that you’re straight and move on from you? Why Aman?” Kartik says to his reflection but gets no response._

_He just stands there waiting for someone to help him find a way out of this mess but he knows he is being stupid. He splashes some water on his face and hair and leaves the bathroom. He immediately makes his way home._

“Kartik, why didn’t you tell me any of this before? We could have done something,” Devika says nearly on the verge of tears looking at the hopeless state her best friend is currently in. She knows she can help him but her heart doesn’t allow her to out Aman without his permission.

“We can’t do anything Devi, I’m stupid that I didn’t get out of this when I had time. I let myself fall deeper and deeper when all I had to do was get out of there,” Kartik says as few tears fall out of his eyes. “I couldn’t bear to stay away from him for the weekend so I made plans with him. No offense to you, but the only reason I made you join us was to not make Aman uncomfortable. But then you had to go inside that damn haunted house and leave me alone with him,”

“I’m so sorry Kartik, I’m sorry I didn’t notice that you were going through this. If only I had known, I would have done something. I’m so sorry Kartik. I’m sorry I couldn’t be a good friend for you when you needed me to,” Devika says and starts crying. Kartik cannot bear to see his best friend like this so he immediately hugs her and reassures her that this doesn’t make her a bad friend. She was there for him when his father blamed him for his mother’s death, she was there when his father caught him with a boy for the first time and decided to beat him, and she was there when he had nowhere to go after his father kicked him out. Devika is his guardian angel and there is no way she can be horrible for him.

After the two calm down, Kartik asks if she wants to hear more and she just asks him to tell her about the time when he realized that he was in love with Aman. Kartik smiles at the memory and begins,

_After an unsuccessful attempt at throwing the rings, the trio made their way to the other game which happened to be a game where they had to shoot the balloons to win a prize. Kartik and Devika are determined to win a teddy bear for Aman but he decides to join in too and the game begins. Kartik decides to go first and only manages to shoot at one balloon. Both Aman and Devika laugh at his sour face and he just scowls at them. Devika goes next and manages to shoot 3 balloons. Not enough but still more than Kartik. Aman goes next and manages to shoot 9 balloons which are enough for him to win the teddy that he wanted. He takes it and holds it out for Kartik to take. Kartik smiles at him and goes to take the teddy when Aman pulls it away and holds it in Devika’s direction. Devika looks at Kartik and smirks at him. She moves forward to grab the teddy when Aman pulls it away once again._

_Then a fight breaks out between Kartik and Devika to decide who deserves the teddy more. Kartik and Devika start arguing about who Aman likes more while Aman just stands there and laughs his heart out. Kartik looks at this laughing face and thinks, **Man, I’m in love with this boy.**_

Devika smiles at Kartik’s smiling face and sees the love radiating off of him. She has one last thing on her mind and she wants to clear that up before they stop for the night.

“so Kartik, what did you think of Aman’s look for tonight? You were literally frozen there for 15 minutes,” Devika asks.

“God he looked so beautiful. I couldn’t bear to look at him. If only I didn’t have that entire plan of singing the song and confessing my feelings for him at the party, I would have run up to him and kissed him right then and there. We wouldn’t have gone to the party if things were in my hands. I don’t understand how someone can be that beautiful? I don’t have words, Devi. I run out of words every time I look at him. God I love him so much Devika. I love him,” Kartik says.

After that, Devika gets up and grabs a bar of chocolate for Kartik. Kartik looks at her and scolds her for treating him like a baby but eats the chocolate. That night, the two fall asleep in the living room cuddled into each other’s arms. After such an intense day, they both needed it. That night, Devika decides that she will help her best friend get the happy ending he deserves. She sends a text to Ranveer and asks him to help her in the task and he agrees. _Project Get Karman Together starts from that night._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: this chapter was supposed to include something else but then I felt like dedicating a whole chapter to Kartik's perspective on everything that has happened till now.   
> please tell me your thoughts on this (very emotional) chapter.  
> I love reading and responding to your comments so please keep them coming   
> see you next time!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aman develops a very interesting theory. Also, clubbing happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we are back to Aman's point of view.   
> enjoy this fluffy and fun chapter

“So after days of observation, I have proposed this theory,” Aman says.

“So what you’re telling me is that, Devika and Ranveer seem to have started dating which is breaking Kartik’s heart because he has a crush on Ranveer?” Goggle replies from the other side.

“Yes that is exactly what I’m saying,” Aman says. Aman had just come back from college when he got a call from Goggle asking if he came out to Kartik. When he said he hadn’t, Goggle nearly lost it and even threatened to strangle him the next time she sees him. But when he told her the real reason why that happened, Goggle understood. She asked him what else new has been happening which led them here.

A week has passed since the Fresher’s Party and Aman is starting to notice some changes around him. Mostly with his friends. Starting with Ranveer and Devika. He notices that the two are always together, either whispering into each other’s ears or goofing around with the other. They often sneak out when they think no one is looking and return with huge grins on their faces. The two also seem to be planning something that has to do with him and Kartik because they always look at them with evil smiles on their faces.

Speaking of Kartik, Aman thinks the best way to describe him is broken-hearted. Whenever Aman is around, he is either staring out into space seeming lost in thoughts or just moping. The energetic and eccentric Kartik that Aman loves has disappeared and Aman longs to bring him back. But he has no idea what is making Kartik like this. So he decided to ask an expert (read Goggle) and get some insight into the whole situation.

Goggle makes a thinking noise and says, “Do you think Kartik and Devika had a fight or something?”

“No, they can never. They aren’t stupid enough to fight over a boy,” Aman replies.

“Well from what I’ve gathered, I think this is the right time to make your move,” Goggle says after a moment of silence.

“Really? I mean Kartik seems like he is way too into Ranveer. I mean he wrote a whole song about him,” Aman says finding flaws in Google’s plans.

“The song was for Ranveer, wait what? Did he tell you that?” Goggle asks and Aman realizes that he didn’t mention the speech Kartik gave before singing.

“Not exactly? He gave a speech before he sang and he said that this song was about someone who has become a huge part of his life in the last few weeks,” He says remembering the speech Kartik gave.

“Aman, can I ask you something?” Goggle asks and Aman is confused.

“Um yeah sure, go ahead,” Aman replies.

“How long have you known Kartik for?”

“A few wee- _oh­_ ”

“OH? AMAN REALLY?” Goggle screams into the phone. He goes to reply but before he can say something, he hears Goggle screaming at someone.

“Mummy, aap meri abhi Delhi ki ticket karwa ke do. Mujhe kisi ki pitai karni haii,” Goggle says to someone, who he assumes is his Champa Chachi. ( _Mom, get me tickets to Delhi right now. I have to beat someone up_ )

“Delhi? Arey Goggle, Delhi me kis ki pitai karni haii tujhe?” He hears someone who sounds like his mom asks. ( _Goggle, who do you want to beat up in Delhi?)_

“Aap hi ke bete ki, taiji. Bachpan me sar ke bal kabhi giraya tha kya aap ne ise?” He hears Goggle ask and even though she is making fun of him, Aman can’t help the laugh that comes out of him. ( _Your son, taiji. Did you ever drop him on his head when he was a child?_ )

“Ab kya kardiya mere Aman ne?” He hears his mom ask. ( _What did my Aman do now?)_

“Kuch nahi kiya wohi toh problem haii,” He hears Goggle reply. ( _He didn’t do anything, which is the problem_ )

“Pagal ho gayi haii kya?” He hears his mom ask. ( _Have you lost it?_ )

“Abhi tak toh nahi. Par agar kuch din aur Aman ki baate suni na, toh ho zarur jaungi,” He hears Goggle say and footsteps which means she is going back to her room. ( _Not yet. But I will if I have to hear Aman’s stories any longer)_

“If everyone knew the actual story, trust me everyone will be as mad as I am right now,”

“I don’t think we would have to go through any of this if they knew, Goggle,” Aman says sadly.

“Okay ab tu senti nahi ho, just do as I said. Make your move,” Goggle says. ( _Okay don’t be emotional now_ )

“Are you sure that is the right thing to do Goggle?” Aman asks and hopes that she says yes because he needs her approval before he does anything.

“Yes Aman, if you decide to make your move, you won’t be doing anything wrong. Just trust your heart and go for it,” Goggle replies giving some encouragement to her stupid brother.

“Okay Goggle, I trust you. I’ll make my move on Kartik,” Aman says.

“Finally. And I swear to every god in every religion, if you mess up again, I won’t hesitate to buy a plane ticket to Delhi and end your life,” Goggle threatens him and he is actually scared at how sincere she sounds.

“Okay okay, bye now. I’ll talk to you later,” Aman says.

“Don’t you dare talk to me until you have Kartik next to you as my brother-in-law,” Goggle replies and hangs up.

Aman places his phone next to him on his bed where he is currently lying. He thinks back to the night of the party and remembers how Kartik didn’t look like his usual self after Aman returned from the terrace. He looked like someone had just delivered the worst news of his life. Now that he thinks about it, it makes sense because when he was having a conversation with Devika, Ranveer came to get her and told Aman to give them a moment. _Maybe he confessed his feelings to her then._ Aman thinks.

Even in the car, the radio was set at a low volume and no one was making a conversation while in any other situation, Kartik is the one who is always filling the silence with his nonsense rambling. But that is what Aman loves about him. As he was getting out of the car, all he wanted was to say the three words that were on the tip of his tongue but he couldn’t with Ranveer right there in the car with them. He couldn’t meet Kartik’s eyes because he knew if he did, his brain-to-mouth filter would fail him and he would start reciting a whole poem as a confession of his love for Kartik.

His phone vibrating with a text is what brings him out of his thoughts. He grabs it and sees a text in the four people group chat he has with Kartik, Devika and Ranveer.

_Abu: yo, I’m bored._

_Genie: the college literally ended two hours ago how are you already bored?_

_Abu: idk but I’m soooo bored_

_Genie: Devi, you have a whole weekend ahead of you._

_Abu: that is why I messaged the group chat._

_Abu: what are you guys doing tomorrow?_

_Genie: sitting around being bored, wbu?_

_Abu: that sucks my man. I was thinking we all should go clubbing tomorrow._

_Genie: oohhh I’m in. when and where?_

_Abu: I haven’t decided that yet, @Princess Jasmine @Aladdin, your highness would you grace us with your presence?_

_Princess Jasmine: Devika, I’m literally sitting next to you. I already said I’m not in the mood. Then why am I being dragged into this?_

_Abu: I wanted you to say that here so all of us can convince you that you are being an idiot right now._

_Genie liked Abu’s message._

_Aladdin: yeah well I’m down too. Clubbing sounds fun._

_Princess Jasmine: on a second thought, I’m in too._

_Abu: *cough* whipped *cough*_

_Genie: damn ma, your cold is getting worse._

_Princess Jasmine: I hate it here :/_

_Abu: :) <3_

_Genie and Aladdin liked Abu’s message._

The next evening, Aman is getting ready for the night out with the gang. He decides to get dressed in black skinny jeans and a white t-shirt underneath with a black and brownish jacket zipped all the way to the top. He decides to add a little color to the outfit and opts for green socks which he has been looking to wear with brown combat boots with laces. He also decides to wear his glasses which are not prescription glasses but rather a style statement even though Aman would beg to differ.

When he feels like he is satisfied with how he looks, he decides to book a cab to take him to the club where they had planned on meeting. Aman reaches the club and immediately calls Kartik to let him know that he has arrived and is waiting at the entrance. Kartik lets him know that they’ll be there in 5 minutes. As Aman is waiting he looks around the club. He notices something different about the club but doesn’t pay any mind to it because his experience of clubs comes from the movies he has watched.

5 minutes later, he spots Kartik, Devika and Ranveer making their way towards the entrance. Before they can even say anything to each other, Kartik starts apologizing. Aman is confused as to why he feels the need to apologize but then Kartik tells him where they are and Aman understands why he thought the club was different compared to what he had seen on TV. _They were at a gay club._

“I’m so sorry, Aman but they didn’t tell me where we were going. If I had known I would have told you. I hope you don’t feel uncomfortable,” Kartik says.

 _Kartik, oh my sweet Kartik. This is my home. I’m far from uncomfortable._ Aman thinks but replies, “No, Kartik. I’m not uncomfortable. It’s a club, I don’t care if it’s for straight people or gay people. I’m here for a fun time,”

Kartik visibly relaxes and smiles at Aman. “People are going to try to make a move on you, you sure you’re comfortable?” Kartik asks teasing Aman.

“Well if something like that happens, I’ll tell them that I’m taken, they’ll back off after that right?” Aman asks now scared of the consequences.

“Hopefully? Say what, I’ll save you if they try to get too comfortable with you. Deal?” Kartik says holding out his hand to seal the deal.

“Okay deal,” Aman says and places his hand in Kartik’s. Kartik smiles at him and uses the hand to pull him inside the club. What both of them don’t notice is that Devika and Ranveer have left them and have gone their separate way giggling about accomplishing their mission.

Once they are inside, Aman finally gets a good look at what Kartik’s wearing. He is dressed in black joggers with a black t-shirt that says love in different languages in rainbow colors with a black and white striped denim jacket over it. He has rolled the sleeves of his jacket to his elbows. Kartik looks very attractive to say the least. Aman wants to grab him by his jacket and plant his lips against Kartik’s. _Whoa wait, where did that come from? Normally my mind is so PG, what the hell?_ Aman thinks.

Aman’s thoughts are interrupted when Kartik lets out a loud scream next to him and runs up to the dance floor getting lost in the crowd of people already dancing. Some upbeat song that Aman doesn’t recognize is playing in the background while everyone around is dancing, drinking and having a good time. Aman decides to join in the fun and goes in the same direction as Kartik. He spots Kartik in the sea of sweaty bodies and goes up to him. Kartik lights up when he spots Aman and pulls him by his hand and starts doing silly dance moves making Aman laugh. Aman joins in with his own weird dancing and slowly they both start getting lost in their own world.

The next song plays and Aman recognizes it as that disco classic _Yaar Bina Chain Kaha Re._ Kartik looks at him and smiles. He moves to say something in Aman’s ear, “Do you know something about this song?”

Aman raises his eyebrows as to ask what and Kartik replies, “it’s a unisex song,”

Just then the lyrics start playing and Kartik starts doing a dance that seems as if he was practicing it for a very long time. Aman looks at him and laughs but joins in after memorizing some of Kartik’s steps. Soon, they both start doing the dance routine as if they had been waiting to do this their whole life. Once again, the song comes to an end and both of them make their way to the bar. That is when they notice that Devika and Ranveer are missing. Kartik tries to call Devika but sees that he has no signal. Both of them decide to not stress much about it thinking they must be around there somewhere.

Once they reach the bar, they both get a beer and start drinking. Once they are both tipsy, they decide to stop as neither of them wants to nurse a hangover in the morning. Kartik decides to go back to the dance floor while Aman stays back watching him from afar. Kartik keeps on waving him over but Aman tells him to continue dancing and that he is okay where he is.

Aman is drinking a glass of water when a man comes and stands in front of him. He looks up and sees that the man has an attractive face. His jaw is well defined and has stubble on it and his eyes seem a little greenish in the light. The man is looking down at him with a smirk on his face and Aman starts to feel a little uncomfortable.

“Hey there sweetheart, you want a beer?” the man asks taking a seat next to him and calling the bartender over.

“No thank you. I’m okay,” Aman replies and tries to spot Kartik who seems to have disappeared in between the dancing bodies.

“Are you here with someone?” the man asks and looks at him giving him a small smile.

“Yeah, I’m here with my friend who I think has disappeared,” Aman says. The man laughs.

“I’m Kabir,” The man introduces himself.

“Aman, I’m Aman,” Aman replies and holds his hand out for the man to shake.

“Nice to meet you, Aman,” Kabir replies and shakes Aman’s hand.

After that, the two start talking. The man asks him about his sexuality and his coming out experience. Aman nearly tells him the truth but then he sees Kartik approaching from the corner of his eyes and instead tells him that he is straight and he came with his friends who are gay. Kabir hums in reply and gets up to leave. Before he leaves, he says, “if you want to make that boy yours, you should really consider telling him the truth,” he winks and leaves. Aman is left dumbfounded.

“Aman. Are you okay? Did that guy try to make a move on you?” Kartik asks once he reaches where Aman is still in shock.

“n-no, he didn’t. We just had a normal conversation,” Aman replies.

“Well, I’ll believe you. Oh by the way, Devika called. She told me she had a small headache and the music was making it worse so she asked Ranveer to drop her home,” Kartik says. Aman hums in reply. He pats on the seat and gestures Kartik to take a seat there. Kartik sits down and looks at Aman.

“Thank you, Kartik,” He says.

“Why are you thanking me Aman?” Kartik asks confused.

“Thank you for today. I didn’t know it was possible for me to have so much fun,” Aman says sincerely. Kartik just smiles in reply.

“You know, this is one of my favorite places?” Kartik asks Aman as he looks around the room of people dancing and enjoying their time.

“Really? If this is one of your favorite places, I’m intrigued by what the other places are,” Aman says looking at Kartik with what he knows is a lovesick smile.

“Do you really want to know?” Kartik asks looking at Aman with a soft smile.

“Yes Kartik, I want to know,” Aman replies.

“Okay then. Tomorrow,” Kartik says.

“Tomorrow?” Aman asks

“Yes, tomorrow. I want to show you all the places that are my favorite. We can do a Delhi tour, but Kartik Singh style,” Kartik says.

“Okay Kartik. A Delhi tour. Kartik Singh style. I’m ready,” Aman says looking at Kartik’s smiling face with a small smile on his own face.

Aman had a feeling that something was going to change tomorrow. He decided to embrace this feeling and welcome the change not knowing if it was going to make the situation better or worse. All he knows is, if he gets to see Kartik’s smiling face at the end of the day, he is ready to face any change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, thoughts?  
> what do you think is gonna happen next? frankly I'm very excited about the next chapter.  
> as always, kudos and comments are appreciated and keep me motivated.  
> see you all the next time!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delhi tour, Kartik Singh Style

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> before I start, this chapter is dedicated to the very amazing ThomasParker who made this entire fic possible and who also deals with my crazy ideas and corrects all the mistakes I make while writing a chapter.   
> without any further ado, enjoy my favorite chapter of this entire fic!

_Delhi tour. Kartik Singh style._ With that thought, Aman woke up on Sunday morning. He let a huge grin break out on his face remembering all the fun he and Kartik had last night. He looked at the clock which read 9:00 am and Aman immediately got up from bed to start getting ready for the day. Kartik and him had agreed on meeting at around 10 at a hospital which _what the hell, Kartik? Who goes to a hospital on a city tour?_ Nevertheless, Aman is ready to leave by 9:45 am.

Aman reaches the hospital by 10:10 am. He looks at his phone to check whether Kartik had messaged him or not but sees Kartik approaching him instead. Aman gives him a wave and Kartik returns it with a small smile on his face. Once he is in front of Aman. Kartik engulfs him in a tight hug. Aman is having trouble breathing, not only because of his heart trying to burst out of his chest but also due to the tightness of the hug.

“Kartik, need to breathe,” Aman wheezes out.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I’m just a little nervous I guess,” Kartik says letting Aman go. Aman misses his touch but oxygen feels nice too.

“Nervous, for what? We are only touring the city Kartik. Koi jung nahi ladne ja rahe hum,” Aman says trying to get a laugh out of Kartik. When he sees a small smile on Kartik’s face he knows that he has achieved his goal by at least 50 percent. ( _We aren’t going to fight a war_ )

“Also, why are we here? Who even goes to a hospital on a city tour Kartik?” Aman asks, confusion evident on his face.

“Because this is no ordinary city tour, sweetheart. This is Kartik Singh’s version of a city tour. Besides this is my favorite place number one,” Kartik says winking at him.

 _Are you trying to kill me? Sweetheart? A wink? Well RIP Aman. I hope someone misses me._ Aman thinks.

“Well fair enough. So am I getting a story behind this or?” Aman asks looking at Kartik.

“I was born here,” Kartik replies simply.

“Oh born,” Aman replies nodding.

“Yes Aman, born. This is where my life started. So this place is very important to me,” Kartik says looking at the place with a sad smile.

“Well, I’m grateful for this place then,” Aman replies and turns to Kartik.

“Do you wanna go inside?” Kartik asks.

“Of course, why not? Delhi meh toh saari acchi places khatam hogai haii ab bas ye hospital hi ghumna rehe gaya haii,” Aman replies sarcastically making Kartik laugh so hard everyone around them starts glaring. Aman tries to calm him down but Kartik shows no sign of stopping so Aman holds his hand and pulls him away from there. ( _We’ve finished going to all the good places in Delhi, only this hospital is left)_

Once they reach a fair distance away from the hospital, Aman lets go of Kartik’s hand. Kartik is still laughing and Aman is concerned for his sanity right now. Finally, Kartik calms down and stops.

“Did you do drugs before coming here or what?” Aman asks.

“No, Aman. No drugs. Just a lot of serotonin,” Kartik replies.

Aman looks at him and sees Kartik looking back at him with a look on his face which Aman can now recognize. It’s a look filled with _love. Pure love and affection._ Aman doesn’t know what to do with that information so he decides to change the subject.

“So where are we going next on this grand tour?” Aman asks.

“How about I take you there instead of telling you?” Kartik asks holding out his hand for Aman.

“Okay whatever you want,” Aman replies and puts his hand on Kartik’s.

The two walk to their next destination while holding each other’s hands.

The next place the two go to looks like an abandoned building. The door has a huge lock on it and Aman is scared. Kartik takes him inside with a small gap between the door and the boundary wall. Once they are inside, Aman notices the place is widespread with some one-story buildings in the place. Aman leads him to the back of one of the buildings where a small playground is. Kartik lets go of Aman’s hand and runs towards one of the swings that are there. Aman runs after him. The two take a seat in one of the swings and the swings make noise at the weight.

“You are not planning on my murder, are you?” Aman asks Kartik feeling a little scared.

“That is my plan, Aman. I’m a serial killer who brings young unassuming men to this playground and kills them,” Kartik replies and rolls his eyes.

“If we are not here for my murder, what other reason do you have for trespassing into an abandoned place?” Aman asks.

“This is my school, or well this used to be my school. I met Devika here,” Kartik replies smiling as if he is reliving the memory.

“Is there a story of how you and Devika met?” Aman asks trying to swing himself.

“Not really, we met because our teachers made us sit together. I was a new student and Devika helped me. But you know how I came out to her?” Kartik asks.

“I’m surprised there isn’t a dramatic story behind your first meeting. And no I don’t. Care to share, Mr. Singh?” Aman asks. Kartik sees Aman struggling to make himself swing so he gets up and pushes Aman’s swing.

“Well, it wasn’t that dramatic. She confessed that she had loved me for a long time and I confessed that I’m gay,” Kartik said pushing Aman’s swing harder.

“Wait, Devika was in love with you?” Aman asks a little loud as the wind blowing on his face is making his voice a little lower.

“Yeah, I thought that this thing would make us awkward but instead our friendship got stronger. I’m very grateful for her,” Kartik replies, his voice at the same level as him.

The two stop talking for a while and Kartik continues pushing Aman. Once Aman is satisfied, he gets off the swing and the two go around the playground, playing around like children. By the time, they are tired, both of them have huge grins on their faces. _This is the happiest I have ever been._ Aman thinks.

After the school, Kartik takes him to their next stop on this city tour. The next stop happens to be a small house in a small part of the city. Aman assumes that this must be Kartik’s home. He looks at Kartik and waits for him to call out to his parents or lead him inside but that never comes. Kartik stands there outside, his eyes have a hint of tears in them. Aman doesn’t understand what’s going on but he knows he can’t see Kartik crying. He pulls him away from there and makes him sit on a bench that is near.

“Kartik, are you okay?” Aman asks rubbing Kartik’s back.

“You know I thought it wouldn’t hurt so much now. It’s been years since I last came here, but it still hurts Aman,” Kartik starts sobbing. Aman can’t see him like this. He immediately takes Kartik in his arms and rubs his back as Kartik puts his head on Aman’s shoulders and starts fully sobbing. _Well this day is a roller-coaster of emotions_. Aman thinks. Once Kartik is calm enough, Aman asks if he wants to talk about it but Kartik refuses.

“This day is supposed to be fun. I’m going to suck it up and we’re going to have fun,” Kartik says pulling away from the hug.

“You don’t have to suck it up Kartik. We can go home and have ice cream and talk about our feelings,” Aman offers.

“As tempting as that sounds, it’s a no from me. Let’s go, we have other places to be,” Kartik says getting up and pulling Aman with him.

As they are walking, Kartik points out a street and says that this is the street where he ran when the boys from his street didn’t like his dyed hair and chased him to beat him up. Aman imagines a pre-teen Kartik running away from the bullies and laughs. Kartik glares at him but soon he joins in too. They walk to their next stop while discussing Kartik’s childhood tales which didn’t involve his parents.

Before they can reach their next destination, Kartik stops in front of a piercing shop. He looks at Aman with a devious smile on his face and pulls him inside. Aman tries to protest but before he can say anything, they are already inside. Kartik goes up to the person on the counter and asks if he can get a piercing. The person who seems really bored asks where he wants it and Kartik points to his nose. Aman looks at him with wide eyes and Kartik just gives him an innocent smile in return. The person leads Kartik inside a room and Aman decides to wait outside for him.

A few minutes pass and Kartik comes out with a silver ring glistening on his nose. He looks very proud of himself. He looks at Aman and asks how it looks. Aman’s mind has short-circuited. The nose ring makes Kartik look a hundred times more attractive than he already is. Aman doesn’t know how to handle himself. He wants to feel that cold metal on his face and other places that should remain unnamed. Aman gives him a thumbs up in reply and looks away before he can do anything stupid and traumatize the poor man sitting on the counter. Kartik pays for his piercing and the two leave the shop to continue on to their next destination.

The two stop in front of a building that reads _“National Public Library”_ and Kartik leads him inside. Once inside, Aman is hit with the smell of old books and Aman feels at home. Kartik then leads him to the poetry section. He looks around trying to find something and lets out a small “aha” when he finds it. He sits on the floor and pats the place next to him for Aman to sit. Aman sits down next to him and waits for Kartik to say something.

“This place has two different events that are important to me,” Kartik says opening up the book and flipping the pages. When he reaches a page he stops and shows Aman the page. On the page it reads, “ _Kartik and Vicky’s first kiss_ ” and Aman lets out a gasp. He looks at Kartik who is smiling smugly at him. Aman wants to slap that smug smile out of his face or maybe kiss it off but Aman won’t admit that.

“How didn’t you get caught?” Aman asks tracing the words on the page.

“Maybe because hundreds of Kartik come here every day and they don’t know which Kartik did it?” Kartik says wiggling his eyebrows.

“Yeah well that makes sense. So what’s the story?” Aman asks intrigued.

“Well it was a heat of the moment kind of a thing. I was reading a poem to him and he was just looking at me. I chanced it and kissed him. He kissed back and well, that is how I had my first ever boyfriend,” Kartik says laughing at the memory.

“Where is this Vicky person now?” Aman asks flipping through the pages.

“Married with his wife and two children. Looked miserable the last time I saw,” Kartik says so simply.

“What do you mean married? Isn’t he supposed to be your age? And a woman, what the hell?” Aman asks looking at Kartik as if he has lost it. One look at Aman’s face and Kartik loses it. He laughs and laughs. Aman is still in shock at Kartik’s words.

“First of all, I was just kidding. My god, your face,” Kartik says in between laughs, “and honestly, I don’t know. The last time I saw him was when my father found us making out but that’s a story for another time,” Kartik says and takes the book from Aman’s hand and puts it back in its place. He gets up from his seat and pulls Aman with him.

He leads Aman to the place where the tables are set up. He points at the table in the far corner and says, “and that is where I wrote my first ever poem.”

“Which came first, the kiss or the poem?” Aman asks imagining a much younger Kartik sitting on the table and beaming with happiness looking at his first ever poem.

“The poem did. This became my favorite place after I wrote that poem,” Kartik says leading him out of the library.

“Am I going to hear this poem someday?” Aman asks looking at Kartik.

“Someday. I promise,” Kartik replies and takes his hand again leading him to the next place.

As they are walking, Aman notices that the day is starting to get darker. He looks at his watch and notices that it is 5:00 pm already. He is starting to feel a little hungry and tells Kartik that. Kartik tells him that they are going to eat first before they go to the last stop for the day. The two decide to go to a food stall nearby and get some _pav bhaji._ The two finish eating and start walking towards their next and last destination. After walking for some time, Kartik leads him to a park-like place. The place looks abandoned. He can see no one around. Kartik takes him to the end of the park and makes him sit on the ground near a tree. Aman, who is tired from the whole day of walking, lies down on the grass looking up at the sky. Kartik lies down next to him.

“So did you have fun today?” Kartik asks turning to face Aman.

“Yeah so much. Thank you for today,” Aman replies and faces Kartik as well.

The two give each other shy smiles and look at each other.

“Aman?”

“Yeah, Kartik?”

“I want to tell you something,”

“Yes? What is it Kartik?”

Kartik gets up from the place and refuses to meet Aman’s eyes.

“Okay, I’m just going to come out and say it,” Kartik says. Aman gets up from his place and waits for Kartik to start talking.

“Okay here goes nothing. Aman, I didn’t have any plans for today. I just wanted to show you around the places that mean the most to me and open up to you. I have never felt so comfortable with anyone since I met Devika. But then this entire day happened and now I can’t let this opportunity go. Ever since I saw you in that literature club meeting, I have wanted to say this. But then you told me something that stopped me-”

“What did I say?”

“-And I know you have a crush on Devika-”

“Wait, what? A crush on Devika? Saale pagal hogaya haii kya?” ( _Have you lost it?)_

“-aur mujhe yeh bhi pata haii ki tu mujhe hi blame karta haii Ranveer ko bich me lane k liye-” ( _and I also know that you blame me for bringing Ranveer in the middle of this_ )

“Ranveer ko bich me lane? Tu meri baat sun Kartik” ( _bringing Ranveer in the middle of this? Kartik listen to me_ )

“-par ab isme meri galti nahi haii ki tune mujhe pehele nahi bataya ki tujhe Devika pasand haii nahi toh main kuch setting karta-” _(but it’s not my fault that you didn’t mention that you liked Devika, otherwise I would have helped in setting you both up_ )

“Tu kya setting ki baat kar raha haii mujhe kuch samaj nahi aaraha hai Kartik,” _(what setting up are you talking about? I don’t understand anything_ )

“-ya shayad main nahi karta kuch setting kyunki-” ( _or maybe I wouldn’t have helped, because-_ )

“Abey saale mujhe Devika nahi, tujhse pyar haii, I love you, you absolute dumbhead,” ( _you jerk, I’m in love with you, not Devika_ )

“-main tujhse pyar karta hu,” ( _-I’m in love with you_ )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cliffhanger? in this household? more likely than you think.   
> are they finally gonna get together?   
> tell me your thoughts on this chapter because I'm v proud of it.   
> as always, kudos and comments are welcomed and motivate me to continue writing this.   
> see you all the next time!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aman's flaming homosexuality is no longer off-topic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the moment we all have been waiting for.  
> please, enjoy!

“Abey saale mujhe Devika nahi, tujhse pyar haii, I love you, you absolute dumbhead,” ( _you jerk, I’m in love with you, not Devika_ )

“-main tujhse pyar karta hu,” ( _-I’m in love with you_ )

The both of them look at each other with wide eyes.

Both of them are shocked at the other’s words and their own confessions.

“Wait you love me too?” both of them say at the same time.

The two burst out laughing at the situation they find themselves in. after they calm down, Kartik speaks up, “okay seriously, there’s a lot of confusion here. Should we start from the beginning then?”

Aman nods and starts recounting his entire story of how everything started.

“Wait, you saw me on your first day?” Kartik asks once Aman tells him when he saw Kartik for the first time.

“More like heard your laugh, which by the way what are you so loud for?” Aman asks. Kartik just laughs in reply and tells Aman to continue.

Aman starts talking again and gets stopped by Kartik saying, “You really thought Devika was my girlfriend?” Aman just glares at him in response. Aman continues with the story moving to his second day of college. Once he reaches to the first part of the first-ever STEM club meeting, Kartik is pissed.

“Do you remember who that was? I swear to god I’ll rip his eyeballs out,” Kartik says and Aman is actually scared. He asks if he should continue and Kartik nods in reply. He gets to the confessions page part and he is debating on whether to come out clean or not. Aman knows he has to tell Kartik everything that has happened till now but his confession is one thing he doesn’t want to talk about. He decides to take a chance and just tell Kartik about the confession.

“So wait, you wrote that confession?” Kartik asks gasping.

“Yes, Kartik. I was the one,” Aman confesses.

“Thank god. I was really thinking that you just confessed your love because you wanted to experiment with me, you know like explore your sexuality and stuff,” Kartik says breathing a sigh of relief and Aman just wants to punch this dumbass.

“Kartik, I have known I’m gay since I was 13. I came out to my sister when I was 15. I explored my sexuality a long time ago, can I continue?” Aman asks. Kartik nods and Aman continues. He tells him about the days he tried to find him while also developing a crush on him as the cute locker room boy.

“Cute locker room boy? I feel like the lead character in a teen rom-com, thank you Aman. You made my dream come true,” Kartik says and this time Aman actually punches him. But in the shoulders, because even if Kartik is an annoying asshole, he is Aman’s annoying asshole (or maybe not. Yet.) Kartik laughs and makes Aman continue with his story. Aman gets to their actual first meeting that happened during the literature club meeting.

“Now I feel bad because I didn’t notice you before this day,” Kartik says with a sad smile.

“Don’t feel bad, at least you noticed. Better late than never right?” Aman says with a smile. Kartik nods. Aman is suddenly hit with a thought, “wait, what was your first thought of me the first time you saw me?” he asks looking at Kartik.

“I’ll tell you later. Let’s finish your side of the story first?” Kartik says. Aman pouts but agrees. He continues with his side telling Kartik about how he felt the first time their hands brushed against each other. Kartik’s face breaks out into a huge grin and Aman is dying to know if he felt something during that interaction or not. He also mentions the phone call he had with Goggle on that day and how she was the one who helped him figure out that Kartik was gay.

“Wait, so you didn’t put the two and two together? Aman Tripathi do you need to go get your brain checked?” Kartik asks nearly dying from laughter at that point. Aman just glares at him but Kartik does not stop. Once he is calm enough, he says, “dude, I love your sister.” Aman smiles and replies, “she loves you too actually. I’ll tell you about all the things she has said to me once we get there,”

He moves on to the next day which is the day he ran from the LBGT+ club meeting without even entering and he hears Kartik let out a gasp. “I wasn’t imagining things. You were actually there. Oh my god,” Kartik says and Aman realizes what he is talking about. “You saw me?” Aman asks and Kartik nods in reply. Before Aman can ask him to elaborate, Kartik tells him to continue.

Now he gets to the part of their first-ever conversation. Aman tells him how scared he got when Kartik started panicking and felt as if he had ruined that one chance he had with Kartik. Kartik gives him a small smile and says, “well you did kind of mess up your chance after that though” and Aman wants to bang his head against the tree next to him. Aman says nothing and just continues. He tells him how he had forgotten he made that mistake until Goggle pointed it out prompting another laughter round from Kartik. By the time he gets to the weekend and the entry of Ranveer, Kartik is having trouble breathing from laughing at all the dumb moves Aman made.

“Okay, so Ranveer found me because of the confession you made? This is golden,” Kartik says (more like wheezes out)

“Yes. I was so pissed. I was really tempted to punch him sometimes,” Aman says.

“Aww did you get jealous of him? Was little Aman jealous of Ranveer?” Kartik starts talking in a really annoying voice that people use while talking to babies and this time Aman punches him in the chest. Kartik just clutches his punched chest and continues laughing like a crazy man. Aman just waits there for him to calm down so he can start again. After a while, Kartik calms down and Aman tells him about the conversation he had with Goggle and his plans of coming out to Kartik after that conversation only to get stopped by the scene he found Kartik and Ranveer in. Kartik nearly interrupts him but stops himself. Aman tells him about how he felt like shit and had cried himself to sleep that night.

“So I was right?” Kartik asks and Aman nods. Aman continues with the story and gets to the part of him avoiding Kartik and Ranveer whenever he got a chance and slowly gets to the Fresher’s party. He tells him the effect the song had on him and why he ran. He also mentions the conversation he had with Devika and how he nearly came out to her but chickened out at the last minute. Before finishing, he mentions the theory he developed and asks Kartik if this is true.

“I mean if you love me, I have no problem, but if you clear that up then it’ll be better,” Aman says.

“Well now it’s my time,” Kartik says and starts recounting his side. Aman patiently listens to him and doesn’t interrupt him unlike someone who did. Once Kartik is done, Aman realizes how stupid he actually is. He has some questions of his and he asks those one by one.

“So you felt the same way I did when our hands brushed?”

Kartik nods.

“And you saw me at the door?”

Kartik nods.

“That is why you approached me during the lunch break?”

“That and also because I wanted to get to know you,”

“You thought you ruined your chance with me so you panicked?”

Kartik nods.

“You didn’t give up even after I told you I was straight?”

Kartik nods, this time with a small smile on his face.

“You ran away that day because if you stayed, you would have kissed me?”

Kartik nods, the smile on his face getting bigger.

“You realized you were in love with me because of me being mean to you?”

“And your face when you were laughing,”

“You were hugging Ranveer because he told you that he liked Devika?”

Kartik nods.

“You thought I was avoiding you because I heard the conversation?”

Kartik nods.

“You thought I had a crush on Devika?”

Kartik nods with a sheepish smile on his face.

“You wrote that song for me?”

Kartik nods.

“You’re in love with me?” Aman asks with tears in his eyes.

Kartik moves to cup his face.

“You are in love with me,” Aman lets a few tears fall from his eyes.

Kartik leans his forehead against Aman’s.

“I’m in love with you,” Aman says and moves his face closer to Kartik’s.

Kartik gives him a smile.

Aman looks from Kartik’s eyes to his lips.

Kartik looks from Aman’s eyes to his lips.

The two move closer together.

“Can I kiss you?” both ask at the same time.

They let out a small chuckle and look at each other.

They move their head at the same time pressing their lips against each other.

Sparks. That is what goes through both of their bodies at the press of their lips.

Butterflies go crazy in their stomach.

Their mind stops concentrating on everything else.

Their eyes close.

The two start moving their lips against each other.

Aman lets out a sigh and wraps his arms around Kartik’s neck.

Kartik wraps his arms around Aman’s waist and pulls him closer.

Aman moves to deepen the kiss.

They continue kissing until they both run out of air.

Aman is the first one who pulls away from the kiss. Kartik lets out a noise of protest but lets Aman pull away anyway. The two breathe heavily against each other’s lips. Their arms are still wrapped around each other. Kartik can’t resist so he places a small peck on Aman’s lips before unwrapping his arms from around Aman’s waist. Aman also places one last peck on Kartik’s lips and pulls away, leaning against the tree behind him.

Both of them can’t stop grinning thinking about what just happened. They can’t believe that after being stupid for so many weeks, they finally kissed. _They kissed. It was their first kiss._

“Wait, so can I consider this our first date?” Kartik asks looking at Aman.

“Yes, Kartik. This is our first date,” Aman replies with a giggle.

“Wow, showing your most important places to the one you love. First date goals,” Kartik replies.

“So are we going to spend the night here or do we want to go home?” Aman asks getting up from his place.

“Can we spend the night here? I’m not ready to let go of you yet,” Kartik replies with a smile and Aman’s heart is ready to jump out of his chest.

“Who says we are letting go of each other? Let’s go back to my apartment,” Aman says and holds his hand out for Kartik. Kartik takes his hand and pulls himself from his spot.

The two start making their way home while holding each other’s hands. Both of them look at each other and give small shy smiles. _Is this what a relationship feels like?_ Aman thinks. They reach Aman’s apartment and Aman realizes that this is the first time Kartik has been to his apartment.

“Sorry if it’s messy,” Aman says and pushes the door open.

Kartik just smiles and goes inside yelling, “Honey, I’m home.”

 _Crazy, this guy is absolutely crazy._ Aman thinks with a smile.

Kartik looks around his apartment and says, “This place is nice.”

“Thank you, my parents helped me,” Aman replies.

“You mean them?” Kartik asks pointing at the picture that sits on top of a table in Aman’s living room. Aman nods in reply and Kartik hums. “Is that your sister Goggle?” Kartik asks pointing at the picture of Goggle and Aman smiling wide holding toys in their hands.

“Yeah, her real name is Rajni. We just call her Goggle as a nickname,” Aman replies and gestures Kartik to take a seat on the sofa. He runs to the kitchen and brings out a glass for water handing it to Kartik.

“What’s your family nickname?” Kartik asks taking a sip from his glass and placing it on the table.

“Can we not discuss that right now?” Aman says taking a seat beside Kartik and placing his head on Kartik’s shoulder.

“But I want to know,” Kartik whines. He wraps his hand around Aman’s shoulder and leans his head against Aman’s.

“They call me Guddu,” Aman replies bracing himself for Kartik’s laugh. But it never comes.

“Guddu? That’s cute. Can I call you that?” Kartik asks.

“If you call me that, I’m breaking up with you. My love be dammed,” Aman threatens Kartik.

“So does this mean we are dating? Like official? Like boyfriends?” Kartik asks. Aman smiles and thinks of something.

“Kartik Singh?” Aman begins.

“Hmm?” Kartik hums.

“Will you accept me as your boyfriend?” Aman asks. Kartik lets out a chuckle.

“Yes Aman Tripathi, I accept you as my boyfriend,” Kartik replies. Aman moves and looks at Kartik with a grin on his face. Aman moves into Kartik’s arms and hugs him tight.

“I love you so much, Aman” Kartik mumbles into Aman’s hair.

“I love you too, so so much,” Aman mumbles.

That night, the two sleep wrapped around each other, happy smiles on their faces. The next morning, the two wake up late and run to get ready for the day. They reach to the college with fifteen minutes to spare and walk to Aman’s locker while holding hands. Devika and Ranveer are already there waiting for them. They let out a squeal when they see the couple holding hands. Kartik raises their intertwined hands and looks at Aman with a smile.

“My flaming homosexuality is no longer off-topic,” Aman says once he reaches to where the two are doing a weird victory dance while chanting, “We knew it!”

Aman always heard people talk about their chosen family. But he never understood what it meant. But today, as he is standing there, looking at two of his friends dancing and acting weird while holding his _boyfriend’s_ hand, Aman knows he has found his chosen family. And he wouldn’t change it for the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, thoughts?  
> don't worry, this isn't the end, I still have a few chapters planned so keep an eye out for that.  
> other than that, kudos, comments and all that stuff are welcomed  
> see you next time!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aman and Kartik's relationship progresses and Aman is ready to take a huge step.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first of all, you might have noticed that the chapter limit has been added. we only have two chapters of this fic left (including the epilogue). I immensely enjoyed writing this entire thing and loved all the responses I got for this. with that being said, I don't wanna stretch this fic out so we're gonna stop at chapter 15.   
> well, enjoy this cute chapter.

_I have to study for mid-terms._ With that thought Aman wakes up. Before he can open his eyes, he hears loud noises coming from where his living room is. He also hears muffled cursing from the same direction. _Am I being robbed? Am I going to get murdered?_ Aman thinks. He gets up from his bed and grabs a cricket bat he had hidden under his bed for emergencies like this. He tiptoes his way into the living room and is greeted by the cutest sight.

Kartik, _his boyfriend,_ is in his kitchen trying to cook. The keyword there being _trying_. Before he can process any thought, he sees that pan is beginning to catch fire and he immediately runs towards it. He grabs the burning pan and puts it under the tap. He turns around and glares at his very innocent looking boyfriend who is standing there with a hand rubbing on the back of his neck and an apologetic look on his face.

“Good morning?” Kartik says which comes out more like a question. Aman rubs a hand against his face and looks at his boyfriend with a “are you serious?” face.

“A very good morning indeed,” Aman says sarcastically.

“Look, I know you’re stressed about the mid-terms. So I tried to make you a cute breakfast in bed. Now it’s not my fault that I’m not a good cook,” Kartik says. Aman continues looking at him with the same look. “Okay, maybe it is my fault. But it’s the thought that counts right?” Kartik looks at him with a cute smile and bats his eyelashes. Aman can’t stay mad at him. He sighs and cleans the pan. He sets it back on the stove and looks at Kartik.

“What were you trying to make?” Aman asks and looks around. He notices bread, eggs and other utensils on the counter and guesses that he was trying to make omelet toast for breakfast. His guess is confirmed when Kartik answers the same. His heart warms at the thought of Kartik trying to cheer him up because of his stress of the mid-terms.

“Concentrate at what I’m doing,” Aman says and gets started on breakfast. Aman starts to narrate while he is cooking and Kartik listens to him only interrupting when he doesn’t understand something. Aman leaves the last batch for him and goes to freshen up before he can eat his breakfast. When he returns, he notices that the bread is a little burnt but nothing is on fire this time and he is relieved.

He smiles at Kartik and moves forward to kiss him. He presses his lips against Kartik’s and wraps his arms around Kartik’s waist. Kartik kisses him back and cups his face. They both pull away when they start running out of air. They rest their foreheads against each other and try to catch their breath.

As they sit to get started on breakfast, Aman remembers something. “Hey, you know what day is it today?” Aman asks looking at Kartik.

“Friday?” Kartik asks confused.

“No you idiot, it’s been a month since our first date,” Aman says a dreamy smile on his face remembering their amazing first date.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry Aman. I actually forgot? Should we do gifts? Flowers?” Kartik asks.

“Kartik, stop. I’m not one of those people who celebrates their one month anniversary,” Aman says taking a bite out of his breakfast.

“Thank god, I actually got scared,” Kartik says and continues with his breakfast.

It’s been a month since the two started officially dating and this past month has been magical to say the least. Waking up every morning as Kartik Singh’s boyfriend has been very pleasing to Aman. Going to college and seeing his sunshine of a boyfriend waiting there for him and getting to kiss him has been the best for him. Since they started dating, they have been inseparable to the point that they spend 4 out of 7 days in the other’s apartment. The other three days, the two are glued to their phone either texting or calling. Devika and Ranveer are very tired of them but they are too much in love to care about what others think.

After breakfast, Kartik decides to leave as Aman has to get started on his studies. They agree to meet at the college library in the afternoon. After Kartik leaves, Aman does the dishes and gets started on his studying. He studies until 1:00 pm and then gets up to go to the library. He wears a hoodie and a pair of jeans and grabs his books to leave.

Once he gets there, he goes to sit in one of the tables in the back. He places his books there and goes to grab another set of books. Once he is satisfied with the amount of material he has in front of him, he gets started. He picks up his highlighter and his pen and starts concentrating. About an hour later, he feels as if his mind just ran a 100m race and he rests his head against the table taking a short break.

“I told you, you were aiming for death when you picked engineering,” He hears a voice that sounds like Kartik speak. He turns around and notices that it is Kartik. He also notices that Kartik has something that looks like coffee in his hands. Kartik notices where his eyes are and lets out a chuckle. He places the coffee on the table and takes a seat on the chair. He picks up a book that Aman has in front of him and makes a disgusted face.

“Don’t you have to study?” Aman asks when he feels like his brain is getting back to its original state.

“Darling, I’m a bright student. I do my studies before the exams so that I can chill during these times,” Kartik replies taking a sip of his coffee.

“And you remember everything?” Aman asks impressed with his boyfriend.

“Mostly? I do revision before I sleep so I’m good for exam day,” Kartik says.

“God I wish I had studied before exams. This sucks,” Aman whines banging his head against the table.

“You had time to change your subject but you didn’t listen. Everyone hated Kartik because he spoke the truth,” Kartik replies.

“If you don’t shut up with your ‘I told you so’ speech, I’ll hit you with this ruler,” Aman replies raising the ruler.

“Ohhoo kinky, but I’m not a huge fan of exhibitionism so let’s keep it in our bedroom, shall we?” Kartik replies and Aman’s face turns red like a tomato. Kartik laughs at Aman’s expression and Aman is tempted to punch him in his beautiful face.

After that, Kartik grabs a novel from the library and starts reading while Aman continues with his studies. While they both are way too into their current tasks, Aman’s phone starts vibrating. He looks at the screen to see it’s a call from Goggle and he picks it up. As always, Goggle yells out a loud hello into the phone.

“Hey Goggle, how are you?” Aman asks. From the corner of his eye, Aman can see Kartik mouthing, “is it that Goggle?” Aman nods his head.

“I’m good. But just because I told you to not call me until you come out to Kartik does not mean that you actually do that. I miss your dumbhead so please call me,” Goggle says.

“I’m so sorry. I actually got really busy with college. But I promise you, I’ll try to call you at least once a week,” Aman says feeling genuinely sorry.

“Okay chalk hoi baat bahi. Mujhe yeh bata ki last time se kuch progress huwa?” Goggle asks. (Okay, no problem. So tell me, is there any progress from the last time we talked?)

“Ab progress ki toh kya baat karu,” Aman says trying to tease Goggle. (What can I say about the progress?)

“Jo huwa haii wohi bata de, did you come out to him?” Goggle asks. (Just tell what has happened,)

“Coming out? Um let’s see,” Aman replies and Kartik is trying very hard to listen to Goggle’s side. So Aman puts his phone on speaker.

“I swear to god, quit playing around and just answer the question. I have the website for the tickets open here and I won’t hesitate to buy one and get my question answered in person,” Goggle threatens and Kartik who was already on the verge of laughing, lets out a laugh.

“Wait, who is that?” Goggle asks because _of course, she does. She’s Rajni Tripathi, aka Goggle._

“Hello, I’m Kartik Singh, Aman’s boyfriend. And you?” Kartik says with a cute smile on his face and Aman is left there dumbfounded. _Aman’s boyfriend. My boyfriend. This amazing human is mine._ Aman thinks. He breaks out of his thought when he hears a loud scream from the other side of the phone. He has to lower the volume as to not get scolded by the librarian. _That surely must have caught the attention of everyone in the house. How fun, thank you Goggle._

“I’m Rajni, but everyone calls me Goggle. It’s so nice to finally meet you, or I mean hear you?” Goggle says once she stops screaming.

“It’s very nice to hear you too, Rajni. Your brother here has told me amazing things about you. Can I say, you’re my favorite Tripathi?” Kartik says and Aman gasps. He screams a “hey!” and punches Kartik in the arm making Kartik laugh.

“Sucks to be you, Aman. Also I would have said ‘good things I hope’ but I know my brother has nothing but praise for me,” Goggle replies. Aman rolls his eyes.

“I wouldn’t be too proud of myself Goggle,” Aman says into the phone.

“Oh my dear brother, I have crossed the proud limit. If it weren’t for me, I don’t think you would be sitting next to Kartik right now,” Goggle says in a proud tone.

“You can’t take the entire credit Goggle, I had some hand in this too,” Aman whines.

“You did have a hand in this, Aman. But your hand was more useful for ruining things,” Goggle replies.

“Shut up, I was the one who made a move,” Aman says.

“Yeah, after I told you it was safe to do. Look, Aman, between you and me, we share two braincells. Sadly, both are with me,” Goggle says and Kartik laughs.

“It’s official, I’m giving up on my gay card and marrying you Rajni,” Kartik says in between his laughs.

“Oh my god really? I finally have a husband. I won’t have to marry that ancient Ashok now,” Goggle cries into the phone.

“Goggle, you’re 18. Please chill, you have time,” Aman says nearly done with his sister and boyfriend.

“Okay, you can keep your boyfriend. Nobody in this house wants me to be happy,” Goggle says.

“I hate this family,” Aman says and slaps a hand on his face.

“I know you love, I know you care,” Goggle starts singing.

“So shout whenever, and I’ll be there,” Kartik joins in and slowly they both start singing a very horrible version of Justin Bieber’s _Baby._

“Okay, let’s stop now, I have mid-terms to study for. I’ll call you back later?” Aman asks.

“Okay, Aman study hard. Best of luck. And you too, Kartik,” Goggle says.

“Thank you,” they both reply at the same time,

“So married already. Kartik, make Aman text me your number. I’ll send you some gems from his childhood,” Goggles says.

“Okay Rajni, you’ll have my number as soon as this conversation ends,” Kartik replies.

“Also, call me Goggle. You are family now,” Goggle says and hangs up. 

When he puts his phone back and looks up at Kartik, he has a huge smile on his face with tears in his eyes. Aman understands what he is feeling and sends a text to Goggle thanking her for the last sentence and also giving her Kartik’s number. Goggle texts him back a moment later with a lot of heart emojis and a “wow my brother-in-law is beautiful” with a screenshot of the post that Kartik made of their photo booth pictures. Aman smiles at the message and puts down his phone.

After that, the two decide to go back to Aman’s apartment. Once they get there, Aman orders takeout for dinner and falls on the sofa. Kartik comes and lies next to him immediately cuddling to him. Kartik rests his head on Aman’s chest and wraps his arms around him. Aman wraps his arms around Kartik’s neck and starts playing with his hair. Kartik lets out a small hum of appreciation from his hair being played with.

A week later, the four of there are sitting at a café near their college after completing their final exam for the mid-terms. The four are discussing their plans for the one week holiday they got from college. Devika informs them that she is going back to her parent’s house for the week. Ranveer also has plans to visit his family. Aman thinks of going back to his family too but that means Kartik will be stuck here alone. Kartik assures him that he will be fine but Aman can’t bring himself to leave Kartik alone here. So he offers the first thing that comes to his mind.

“You should come too. I mean to Allahabad, with me,” Aman says and all of them look at him.

“Aman, are you okay? I mean, you’re offering to take Kartik, who is your boyfriend, to meet your family?” Devika asks.

“We are just going there. It doesn’t mean we are going to come out to them,” Aman replies.

“Yeah well, we’ll see how well that goes,” Ranveer says and takes a sip of his coffee.

“Are you sure Aman? I mean, you’re not scared?” Kartik asks.

“Kartik, we are going to visit them, we aren’t going to come out to them. Besides, didn’t you say Goggle is dying to meet you?” Aman asks. Even he is a little skeptical about taking Kartik back home but he assures himself that everything will be fine.

“I mean yeah, but-” Kartik starts but Aman interrupts him.

“No ifs or buts. It’s settled, we are going to Allahabad for the week,” Aman says.

Aman knows he might be making a mistake by taking this step. But he knows in his heart that Kartik is the one for him. So even if they have to come out, he is ready. No more fear. He wants to live his life to the fullest with no fear of his parents finding out. If this is the way, then so it be. _Aman is ready to face his parents no matter what the consequence is._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, do you think the coming out is gonna go well?   
> I would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter.   
> as always kudos and comments are very much appreciated.   
> till next time!  
> P.S. I have made a twitter account for this account so if you wanna follow, its @snazzy_23onao3.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aman's coming out story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is technically the last chapter of this fic as the next chapter is an epilogue.  
> so please, enjoy! :)  
> also we hit 1K hits last night so thank you to everyone who read and enjoyed this fic, I love you all <3

_I’m going home. With Kartik_. With that thought Aman wakes up. The first thing he notices is Kartik wrapped around him like an octopus. He is unable to move and can’t get out of bed. He looks at the watch which says that it’s 8:30 am. They have to leave in an hour to get to the train station on time. He tries to untangle himself from the human koala that is his boyfriend and in response, the arms around him get tighter. Kartik lets out a groan and mumbles sleepily, “what are you trying to do?”

“We have to get up Kartik, its 8:30 am,” Aman replies.

“Can’t we just not go? I don’t want to wake up,” Kartik whines pulling away from Aman and turning to face the bed. He screams into his pillow and Aman is done. He gets from up the bed and starts getting ready. He does it noisily so that Kartik wakes up. He is successful in his plan when Kartik gets up from the bed and starts getting ready too. After they both are ready, they leave for the train station.

By the time it’s 10:00 am, they are at the train station sitting in their seat. Immediately Kartik leans his head on Aman’s shoulder and falls asleep. By the time they are in Allahabad, it’s nearly 9:00 pm. Both of them are extremely tired from the long train ride and just want to fall on the bed as soon as they get home. Once they reach the train station in Allahabad, Aman gets a call from his father saying that Chaman chahcha is picking him up. He lets them know that he is bringing a friend with him because he forgot to mention that before. His father says they’ll prepare the guest bedroom by the time they are home and will also have the dinner ready.

The two grab their stuff and get off the train. Near the exit, they spot Chaman chahcha waiting. Aman immediately runs towards him and gives him a hug. _God he missed his family._ When they pull away, Aman introduces Kartik and Kartik immediately goes to touch his feet. Chaman chahcha looks impressed with him and leads them to the car that is waiting outside.

They reach Aman’s home by 9:30 pm. When they enter the house, they spot Aman’s entire family is out there waiting for them. Goggle is the first person to run towards them and give Aman a hug. He hugs his sister back tightly nearly on the verge of tears because of how much he missed being around them. Goggle moves to Kartik next and asks, “so you’re Kartik?” and Kartik nods in reply. Goggle immediately engulfs him in a hug and whispers, “welcome to your sasural, jijaji,” Kartik smiles so wide at that Aman falls in love with him all over again. ( _Welcome to your in-law's house, brother-in-law_ )

After that, Aman goes and touches his parents’ feet and gives them hugs. He introduces Kartik to his entire family and they all immediately take a liking to him. _If only they knew._ Later that night, Aman, Kartik and Goggle are sitting in Aman’s old bedroom and talking. Aman knows he has to tell them his plans of coming out.

“So, there is a reason why I’m here,” Aman begins.

“I’m scared but okay,” Goggle says.

“Ditto,” Kartik replies and high fives Goggle.

“Okay children lets be serious. So I want to come out to them,” Aman says and waits for their reaction. Kartik immediately gets up and starts collecting his bags.

“Kartik, are you okay?” Aman asks.

“Yeah, I’m not staying here for your death,” Kartik says.

“Wow man, way to make me feel encouraged,” Aman replies.

“What else do you want me to do? You brought me here telling me that we are just visiting, not coming out but now you want to come out? Aman, think rationally, they are going to eat you up if you decide to tell them,” Kartik replies. Aman knows whatever Kartik is saying is true but he also knows that if he doesn’t do it right now then he’ll never gather the strength.

“I know what I’m getting into, Kartik. But I don’t want to hide a part of myself from the people who mean the most to me. I don’t think I can live in the constant fear of being outed to my family. I want to be free. I want to be able to live my life how I want to,” Aman replies. He starts to get a little teary-eyed and immediately Kartik and Goggle engulf him in their arms.

“So we’re really doing this?” Goggle asks.

“Seems like it,” Kartik replies.

“So do we have any plans?” Goggle asks.

“I was thinking of getting them all together and having a conversation,” Aman says.

“That’s going to go so well, isn’t it?” Kartik replies sarcastically.

“What else am I supposed to do then?” Aman asks looking at both of them for solutions.

“How about we start by dropping subtle hints?” Goggle says.

“Subtle hints? Like what?” Aman asks.

“You know the typical, making rainbow-themed food, watching an LGBT+ themed movie to see their opinions on stuff, playing songs from LGBT+ artists and telling them that these artists are out and proud, reading LGBT+ themed books-”

“Get caught watching gay porn,” Kartik chimes in the middle.

“Definitely not doing that unless you have a death wish. All of that. Once you learn how they feel about it, you can decide whether you want to come out or not,” Goggle says. Aman agrees to this plan and thus begins Aman’s coming out story.

On day 1, Aman decides to wake up early and make pancakes for breakfast. Not just ordinary pancakes, _rainbow pancakes_ , like the ones they show on Instagram or Pinterest. By the time he’s done, everyone is awake and waiting for breakfast to be served. Aman plates the pancakes and brings them to his family.

“Oh wow, English breakfast. This is fun. But beta, why are they so colorful? These are pancakes, right?” Shankar, his father, asks and Aman nods.

“Aman bhaiya, pancakes are usually brown, I googled a recipe once,” Keshav replies from the other side and Aman is very tempted to stab him. Now he has to give them an explanation. Before he can utter a single word, Kartik says, “Uncle, this is a trend. Rainbow themed foods. Everyone does it,” his father just nods his head and starts eating telling Aman it’s amazing. _First subtle hint dropping, a check._

For the rest of the day, Aman, Kartik and Goggle go around the town. They visit some places from Aman’s childhood and Goggle narrates various tales of Aman as a child. Kartik is nearly on the verge of losing it and Aman is very tempted to throw Goggle in the lake and call it an accident. But he loves his sister so he is going to spare her life.

The next day brings another subtle hint dropping. This time in the form of an LBGT+ movie. As Aman is looking through possible options, all he finds is stereotypical nonsense and things that are extremely sad. None of them are good enough to be a family entertainer. Aman wants to bang his head against the wall. He hears Kartik and Goggle laughing at his misery. _Well, the second subtle hint has been put on hold._

The rest of the day, the family sits around and talks about Aman and Kartik’s college life. They ask Kartik about his home life and Kartik tells them that he doesn’t have a family but he lives with his best friend since childhood. His family starts feeling bad for asking Kartik such questions and immediately change the topic to Aman’s childhood. They get to the point where they bring out Aman’s childhood photographs. Aman gets up and leaves the place not wanting to sit through them making fun of him.

About an hour later, Kartik comes to his room. He immediately hugs him and they sway around in each other’s arms.

“I missed you,” Kartik says.

“We were apart for an hour Kartik,” Aman replies looking up at him.

“No I mean you, like this, in my arms. It feels like it’s been forever,” Kartik says and Aman understands how he feels. He hugs Kartik tighter and buries his face in Kartik’s chest. Kartik’s arms tighten around him as well and he drops a kiss on Aman’s head. That night, Kartik doesn’t go back to the guest room and they both fall asleep, buried in other’s arms.

For day 3, Aman decided to go with reading an LGBT+ themed book. He picked _Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe_ for the task. Kartik and Goggle left to go on another one of their city tours but Aman decides to opt-out in order to complete this task. He starts reading the book in the middle of the house waiting for someone to notice and ask him what this book is about so that he can start telling them about it. But that didn’t happen. By the end of the day, Aman was nearly done with the book and no one had disturbed him. Aman is pissed to say the least. Normally, his family doesn’t let him live in peace but one day when he wants them to disturb him, suddenly they are the most understanding people on Earth. He closes the book and looks at the terrace where Kartik and Goggle are laughing like dying hyenas. _Third subtle hints dropping challenged failed._

By day 4, Aman is seriously considering Kartik’s idea of getting caught while watching gay porn. He is tired of his family’s oblivious nature. _Well, now we know where I get my dumbass tendencies from._ He is now left with no other choice than to go and talk directly to everyone. He decides to tackle the most homophobic person from his family in his opinion, that being his father Shankar Tripathi. He finds his father in the house’s terrace. In his head, he is muttering, “ _papa I love Kartik, I can’t live without him. I’m gay and this is my truth,”_ once he gets in front of his father, he forgets everything he wants to say. Nevertheless, he calls out his father and Shankar turns around waiting for his son to say whatever he was here for. Aman takes a deep breath and starts,

“Papa, I love you and I can’t live without you-” _wait, what? Brain-to-mouth filter please work._

Aman stops himself and goes to try again but before he can even utter a word, his father hugs him.

“I know that, beta. But thank you for reminding me,” Shankar replies and Aman really regrets his existence. He awkwardly hugs his father back and slowly walks out of there. Once outside, he spots Goggle and Kartik waiting. He gives them a thumbs down as a sign of he couldn’t do it and sees both of them slap their hands against their foreheads.

By day 5, Aman has given up on the hope of coming out to his parents. Day 5 is also their last day in Aman’s house. So for this day, the family decides to go out for a picnic. They leave at around 11 in the morning and get to the picnic spot by the afternoon. The picnic spot also has a small hiking trail that leads to the top of a hill from where the city is visible. Aman, Kartik, Goggle and Keshav decide to go hiking on the trail while the adults decide to stay back. The four of them start climbing and reach the top in an hour and a half. Once at the top, they are amazed by the beauty of the view. Kartik immediately pulls out his phone and starts taking pictures. After that, the four of them sit there and talk. Aman decides that this will be the right time to tell Keshav that he is gay and Kartik is his boyfriend. He does so and in reply, Keshav hugs him and tells him nothing changes between them. Aman is happy with the success. _One down, four more to go. Please give me strength._

After sitting there for a few more hours, they start getting hungry and decide to go back and join the others. They get down faster than they climbed and immediately go towards the food. After they are done, they notice that the day is starting to get darker and decide to leave to go back home. By the time they are home, everyone is tired and just want to go sleep. Aman goes into his room and changes into more comfortable clothing. He hears a knock on the door and opens the door to see Kartik on the other side. He immediately pulls him in and throws himself at Kartik. Kartik immediately wraps his arms around Aman. They pull away from each other after sometime and Kartik puts his hand on Aman’s chin and tilts his head up. He goes to press his lips against Aman’s but Aman stops him. He reminds Kartik to lock the door but Kartik tells him that everyone is asleep.

Aman just gives him a smile and moves his head to kiss his boyfriend. Once their lips touch the others, they breathe out a sigh of relief. They start moving their lips against each other. They are interrupted when they hear a gasp. Both of them immediately pull away from each other to see Shankar standing at the door with a glass of water in hand. Or should he say on the floor because Shankar drops it in his state of shock. Everyone comes running into his room at the noise and see Shankar standing there with his eyes wide.

“What is going on here?” Sunaina, his mother, asks. Goggle and Keshav are looking scared. _Now or never, Aman. Do it. This is the final chance._

“He walked in on us,” Aman says.

“What do you mean? Can you be clearer Aman,” Chaman Chacha asks.

“He walked in on us, kissing,” Aman says.

“Kiss? What is going on? Aman, please explain in detail,” Sunaina asks rubbing Shankar’s back to bring him out of his shocked state. He looks at Kartik who is shaking his head in an attempt to stop Aman but Aman just holds his hand tightly and starts,

“Mummy, Papa, Chacha, and Chachi, I’m gay. I’m a boy who likes other boys. This is my truth. I was born this way and there is nothing you can do to change it,” Aman says. _Finally, the truth is out. I feel so free._ Aman thinks. When he looks over at this family, all of them are looking at each other. Goggle is on the verge of tears and Keshav looks as if he is ready to jump in their defense at any moment.

“Are you guys going to say something? Anything?” Aman asks after he gets no reply from anyone.

“We know,” Sunaina says.

Out of every possible outcome that Aman expected, this wasn’t one of them.

“Wait, what do you mean by we know?” Aman asks scared.

“What she means is we know Aman. We have known for a long time,” Shankar, who is finally out of his shock, says.

“What? How? When?” Aman asks really confused.

“Aman, we gave birth to you. We have always known that there is something different about you. We know you think no one knew when you secretly took Chaman’s CDs but we have always known. I think the first I knew what was so different about you is when I overheard you talking to Goggle about that boy in your class, what was his name?” Shankar says.

“Rajkumar, tauji,” Keshav says from next to him.

“Yeah that Rajkumar boy. We know you are gay Aman. And we also know there’s nothing we can do about it,” Shankar says on the verge of tears. Aman’s face is already soaked in tears.

“We have been preparing for this moment, Aman. But we still don’t know how to handle this. Forgive us if we do something wrong but the society we grew up in will always be a part of our thinking. We will try to change. Don’t expect this change to happen overnight, but we will come around. You are our son,” Sunaina says.

And that, that is enough for Aman. He expected to be kicked out, banished from his family or even worse, killed. His family accepting him (or somewhat accepting) was never a part of what Aman had expected whenever he thought of coming out. Overwhelmed with emotions, he runs and hugs his father. He cries into his father’s chest and keeps on chanting thank you. Shankar hesitantly hugs him back and soon the entire family joins in the hug. Kartik stands in his place looking at the family with a smile on his face and tears in his eyes.

“ab tumhe kya special invitation dena padhega kya?” Shankar asks looking at Kartik. ( _Do you need a special invitation or what?_ )

Kartik immediately runs and joins in the group hug. After that emotional moment, they pull away and give each other individual hugs.

“Now that the sad moment is over, there is something I need to do,” Goggle says and runs towards the back of the house. All of them look at each other questioningly until Goggle returns with a huge stick in her hand. Aman knows what her plan is and immediately takes off from there. Goggle runs after him and manages to get him.

“Goggle, why are you beating the poor boy?” Sunaina asks.

“Kartik, my very amazing and sweet jiju, will you please recount everything that happened between you and him while I complete my work here?” Goggle asks giving everyone an innocent smile.

As Kartik recounts their story to his family and he gets beaten by Goggle, Aman realizes that his story has got its happy ending. He has an amazing family, incredible friends and a very stunning human that he has the pleasure of calling his own. Aman couldn’t be happier even with the pain of the hits he got from Goggle’s sticks. But as long as Kartik continues laughing and being happy the way he is at this moment, Aman is ready to go through anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so thoughts?  
> we finally got the "Goggle beats Aman" scene that I have wanted to write for a long time.  
> as always, kudos and comments are very welcomed and appreciated.  
> see you next time with the finale.  
> @snazzy_23onao3 on twitter if you all wanna follow.


	15. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aman and Kartik's graduation happens.   
> Also, a new step in the relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is it. this is the end of Confessions Out.   
> please enjoy this epilogue! <3

_Four years later_

“Kartik, can you hurry up?” Aman asks waiting at the door already dressed and ready for the day.

“Aman, my sweet baby boy how many times do I have to remind you that perfection needs time?” Kartik replies from the bedroom.

“Kartik, my annoying little shit how many times do I have to remind you that imperfect is perfect?” Aman fires back.

“I’m going to ignore you seeing that your words have a point,” Kartik says and Aman just wants to go inside and drag him out.

“Kartik, listen to me, if we don’t hurry up we’re going to end up being late to our own graduation,” Aman says going towards the bedroom to see Kartik’s progress.

“Okay, okay I’m done,” Kartik says coming out of the bedroom fixing his pants. Aman takes one look at his stunning boyfriend and doesn’t want to leave anymore.

“Hello, Mr. Kartik-Hurry-Up, aren’t we being late right now?” Kartik says pulling Aman out of his very NSFW thoughts.

Aman goes over to his boyfriend and grabs him by the collar of his shirt and presses his lips against Kartik’s. _Even after four years of this, I can’t get enough._ Aman thinks. He tilts his head to get better access. Kartik starts kissing him back and soon the two find themselves in a full-blown make-out session. They pull away once they run out of air and lean their foreheads against each other.

“If we continue, we aren’t going to make it,” Aman says still out of breath.

“God, you look so hot, I really don’t want to go outside with you looking like that,” Kartik says and pulls Aman closer to him.

“I could say the same for you. But this is important, now come on,” Aman says. Kartik lets out a groan and lets go of Aman. Aman goes to grab their gowns and hats. He hands Kartik his gown and they both leave their apartment. Downstairs, Ranveer and Devika are waiting for them. The four of them get in Ranveer’s car (a gift from Ranveer’s parents) and go on their way to the hotel where the graduation is being held.

Once they get there, Aman is once again impressed with the way the college has decorated the place. He can see that they have set up various places for photos. The four of them decide to make their way into the hall where the actual ceremony is taking place. Aman got a call from Goggle when he was in the car saying they were here and waiting for them inside the hall. Aman spots his family near the entrance of the hall and runs towards them. Goggle is the first one to spot them and immediately runs towards them. Aman opens his arms to welcome his sister but instead sees her run towards Devika and give her a hug screaming how much she missed her.

“Way to make us feel validated, saali sahiba,” Kartik says looking at Goggle with a fake disappointed face.

“You’re welcome, jiju,” Goggle replies in an innocent smile.

After that, hugs are given out, introductions are made and finally the family goes to grab a seat in their assigned place. Since the college decided to call out the students on the basis of the subject, Aman and Kartik sit with his family until it’s their turn to go to the stage. They cheer for all the students they are friends with as they receive their diplomas.

Once it’s the engineering students’ turn, Aman waves a bye to his family and goes to stand in his place. He starts feeling nervous once they start speaking out the names. He takes a deep breath and tries to calm himself down. Slowly, the number of students starts to decrease and the line starts moving forward.

“Tripathi, Aman,” the Dean calls out and Aman walks into the stage. He can hear his family cheering from their seat. He can also hear a “that’s my man,” from Kartik which nearly makes him laugh out loud but he controls it. He takes the diploma from the college’s director and shakes his hand. They pose for a photo and Aman walks out of the stage. He immediately runs towards where his family is and pulls Kartik into a hug.

“Congratulations, my love,” Kartik whispers into his ear and Aman pulls away to press a small peak on his lips, prompting an ew from Goggle. He then proceeds to hug his parents and take their blessings. After that, he takes a seat and waits for the next round to start.

Once its Kartik’s turn, he leaves from the table after touching his parent’s feet. Aman knows how nervous Kartik is and gives him a thumbs-up as an encouragement which makes him smile. Kartik goes and stands in his place and the ceremony starts. One by one each student gets called out and they come to grab their diplomas.

“Singh, Kartik,” the Dean calls out and Kartik walks on the stage with a huge smile on his face. His family starts cheering for him and so do Devika and Ranveer’s family. Kartik gives them a small wave and grabs his diploma from the college’s director. As he is walking out of the stage, he looks over at Aman and blows him a kiss making Aman blush.

After the ceremony is done, everyone goes outside to get their pictures taken. The four of them walk over to the photo booth set up by the college and start taking pictures. After the whole photo session, all the students gather around the garden to throw their hats into the air. They all scream out a “to Delhi Metropolitan College and us, the batch of 2019,” and throw their hats in the air. Aman notices that someone has managed to throw their diploma in the mix and laughs. He points it out to Kartik who laughs too.

After that, Aman’s family leaves for the place they are currently staying at. Kartik, Ranveer, Aman and Devika decide to go out for drinks as a form of celebration. They go to a local bar that is near their college. Once they get there, they decide to order three beers for Aman, Kartik and Devika and a mocktail for Ranveer who is their designated driver. As they are drinking and having the time of their life, Aman thinks about the last four years of his life with this amazing family.

A lot has changed in the last four years. When Aman and Kartik returned from Allahabad and met up with Devika and Ranveer to inform them about the coming out, Devika nearly cried. She felt so proud of Aman who was so scared of coming out that he nearly ruined all his chances with the one he loved. And to see him be proud enough to take that huge step made Devika feel like a proud mother. After that their friendship became even stronger than before.

Aman’s family eventually learned to fully accept their son and his love. This acceptance came in the form of a phone call that Kartik received one evening from his parents asking him about his day. Kartik cried on the phone. Immediately after the conversation was done, Kartik called Aman to inform him about the conversation which resulted in both of them crying on the phone. After that, his family started calling Aman and Kartik every day to know about their days and inform them about anything that was new. A Tripathi family WhatsApp group chat with Kartik was made days after the phone call where often times a “ _bully Aman_ ” program happened. Aman couldn’t be happier.

Goggle also came to visit them a lot which resulted in a Goggle-Devika friendship. The two bonded over how stupid Aman and Kartik were when they were in their crush stage. The six of them (Aman, Kartik, Goggle, Devika, Ranveer and Keshav) also have a group chat where Devika updates everyone on the new _Karman_ news she has. This group chat also holds a “ _bully Kartik_ ” meeting from time to time. Still, Aman won’t ask for better friends and family.

As for the couple, well happy would be an understatement. The two are living in a paradise. After nearly seven months of dating, they moved in together. Their inability to stay away from each other played a huge part in this move along with Devika who wanted to move in with Ranveer but didn’t want to leave Kartik alone. After moving in together, they have become even more married than they were before. Everyone around them is tired of their domesticity but Aman wouldn’t want it any other way.

But not everything has been sunshine and rainbows for the couple, they have had their fair shares of fights. Mostly on smaller issues but once they nearly got to the point of breaking up. This was brought by their busy lives when they had to start their internships. The two barely had time for each other while trying to manage college and internships. They constantly fought over small things during this time. But once the internships were over, everything went back to normal and they promised themselves that they wouldn’t let something like this destroy their relationship again.

Aman breaks out of his thoughts when he hears the first beat of _Yaar Bina Chain Kaha Re_ playing. He immediately looks over at Kartik who is already looking at him. They both walk over to the dance floor and start doing their routine. Seeing them, Ranveer and Devika also join them and soon the four of them start dancing like mad people. Everyone around them is looking at them like they have lost their sanity but they are way past caring. They are enjoying themselves and that is what matters.

After the celebrations, the four of them decide to go home. Ranveer drops the couple at the entrance of their apartment complex. Once they reach their apartment, Kartik goes to take a shower and change into more comfortable clothing while Aman takes out his laptop and checks his emails. As he is opening his laptop, he notices that he left his Facebook open and decides to scroll through his timeline for some time. As he is scrolling, he notices something he had nearly forgotten about. _The confessions page._ He decides to read the confession,

**_Delhi Metropolitan College_ **

_Posted 7 mins ago_

_Political Science_

_Recent graduate_

_Male, 24_

_To my dear Aman Tripathi,_

_Ever since I saw you in the literature club meeting, my entire universe changed. I’m not going to bore you by recounting our story because I think we’ve done that enough already. But Aman, I’m so grateful to have you in my life every day. I feel so lucky when I get to wake up next to you every morning. I thank my lucky stars every night when I have you in my arms as we go to sleep. I fall deeper in love with you each time I look at your face whether you’re smiling or frowning. I have had this entire thing planned for a whole year, I was just waiting for the right time and today feels like the best time to do this. And what better place to do it then on this page, where our entire story kind of started._

_In short, Aman Tripathi, will you make me the happiest man on earth and change our surnames to Singh-Tripathi? (Or Tripathi-Singh, doesn’t matter but I just think Aman Singh-Tripathi has a nicer ring to it, okay I’m getting a little off-topic here) so what I’m trying to say is, will you marry me?_

_An answer in person would be more appreciated than in the comments._

_Your (hopefully) future husband,_

_Kartik <3_

Aman’s face is drowning in tears. He can’t believe this. How didn’t he notice this? Kartik really is full of surprises. When Aman looks up from the laptop, he sees that Kartik still hasn’t returned. He decides to wait for Kartik before saying something. He just sits there and lets his tears flow freely. After a few minutes, Kartik comes out but doesn’t notice Aman’s tears. He immediately goes to the closet to grab a pair of sweatpants when Aman decides to speak up.

“You know, I think Singh-Tripathi does have a nicer ring to it,” Aman says, his voice heavy with tears.

“I know right? I was thinking-” Kartik stops in the middle of his sentence and looks over at Aman. “Oh shit, you weren’t supposed to see that already,” Kartik says pouting.

“So, am I getting a ring or do you have something else planned?” Aman asked looking at Kartik who is getting a little teary-eyed. He immediately runs into the bathroom and comes out holding a ring box. He gets on one knee and holds out the ring for Aman. Aman sees a beautiful gold ring sitting in the box. He holds out his left hand and sees Kartik struggle to get the ring out of the box with the way his hand is shaking. Finally he manages to get the ring out of the box and into Aman’s ring finger.

Aman immediately pulls him into a kiss where both of them melt. Once they pull away, Aman asks if they can take a picture. Aman holds his phone and places his hand in front of his face showing off his ring. Kartik moves to wrap his hands around Aman’s waist and nuzzles his face into Aman’s neck. Aman takes the picture and shows it to Kartik.

“Are you going to post it?” Kartik asks admiring the picture. Instead of replying, Aman opens up Facebook and starts typing out a post. Once he is done he gestures Kartik to open his phone and check. Kartik smiles at his phone when he sees the post and moves to kiss Aman.

**_Aman Tripathi_ **

_Posted a min ago_

_I know everyone says we’re married, but it’s about time we make it official. Future Mr. and Mr. Singh-Tripathi <3_

The support from his family and friends start coming immediately. Aman ignores them in favor of concentrating on his boyfriend, no wait, _his fiancé_. Aman doesn’t think there is any way he can be happier than he is at this very moment. He’ll forever be grateful for the day he decided to move to Delhi for a change. He is ready to step into his new life, as _Kartik Singh’s husband._ And that thought is enough to make him the luckiest person on this planet. Aman takes one look at the smiling face of his fiancé and decides, _this is where I want to spend the rest of my days. Thank you for everything, Kartik._

_fin._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so there you go. this concludes Confessions Out.   
> I'm so happy and incredibly proud of this fic. I love all the support I got from everyone. I never expected to get this much love so just know I'm very grateful for each and every one of you <3  
> with that being said, I would like to give a huge thank you to ThomasParker who helped edit this entire work and also encouraged me to write and update this fic every day.   
> okay I'm getting a little emotional here so I'll take a leave.  
> as always, kudos and comments are v appreciated.   
> follow me on twitter if you wanna be updated on if we have any new things in work, its @snazzy_23onao3   
> till next time! <3

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed the first chapter! kudos and comments are welcomed. see you next time with another chapter (and probably introduce the confessions page with some wild confessions 😂💙)


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